Danganronpa: Hope's Flare of Friendship!
by Ace Hogana
Summary: This my first Fanfiction of Danganronpa. Following the POV of Super Duper High School Swordsman, Ace Hogana, he will battle the forces of Evil and Despair. Will his Hope shine bright enough to overcome Monokuma and his Despair, or will he just become another victim of Monokumo's wrath. Find out in "Danganronpa: Hope's Flare of Friendship!"
1. Chapter 1

Hello All! Thank you for reading my Danganronpa Fanfic! Please enjoy, and I am sure you will not be disappointed. Sorry for grammar errors and OOC characters. What I am going to do is I am going to alter the Storyline, meaning who dies and lives, and I have added characters of my own to make it more fun.

Please feel free to Review however you please!

Danganronpa: Hope's Flare of Friendship!

Disclaimer: I do not own any Danganronpa Characters

Prologue: Welcome to Hope's Peak Academy!

Location: Hope's Peak's Gates Time: 7:31 am

Hope's Peak Academy is the star school of the world. To make it into there is to make it into heaven. This school only accepts kids who excel in all fields of study, and have one "Super Talent". This talent can range from anything, but it isn't a hobby. It has to be the #1 thing you are good at. According to your "Super Talent", you are given the talent as a title. For example, if you were good at gaming, you would be called, "Super Duper High School Gamer" or something along the lines of that. Students from all around the world try to enter into this school, but only very few get in. Against all of the odds...here I am...standing at the Gate of the graceful school.

Looking down at my pamphlet, I confirmed my location, and sighed in relief. I was actually here...it wasn't a dream! I ran through the gates of the school, _hope_ beaming off my chest. Little did I know that very _hope_ would someday save my life.

But, I'm getting ahead of myself, aren't I? Allow me to formally introduce myself. My name is Ace Hogana, the Super Duper High School Swordsman. As my title explains, I am a swordsman. I have competed in over hundreds of tournaments nationwide. I was claimed to be the "Best Swordsman", which I highly doubt. I have a lot of rivals throughout my time touring the world, and all of which I respect as my own siblings.

My bloodline is a noble one, having many samurai warriors running through it. Though, instead of using the traditional samurai sword or katana, I use dual custom broad swords that I personally designed and made. I always carry those swords with me, no matter where I am. I have fiery red hair, red eyes, and a medium body built. I have a custom red leather jacket, black and white vest underneath, black jeans, and red and black boots. I also have a necklace that is in the shape of a Dragon's head. The Head is made of ruby, whiles the border and the eyes and made of black volcanic-glass. Well...I would say that sums up my description...sooooo, BACK TO THE STORY!

Lying back on the grass, I held my necklace to the sky. The sun's rays making it glow a reddish glow. It was my memento of my mother. _I'll make you proud, mother_. I thought to myself. The whole reason why I even got into Hope's Peak was because of her and I wasn't going to make her or anyone back home down. Putting my necklace back into my vest, I sat up looking at my watch. 7: 35. _Well, I guess now's a good time to head on in. _I got up, stretching my back.

As I made my leave, someone called out, "Hey there. You made it early, too, I see?"

My instincts took over as I spun around with a hand on one of my swords' handle, ready to strike. But, as I did so, I slipped on some patch of grass. Losing my balance, I continued spinning, knocking into someone.

"OW!"

"WHAAA!"

We both fell on our backs. My back stung because of the hilts on my swords dug into my shoulders, but it wasn't a fatal injury. It was just, after all, pain. So, I sat up shaking the pain off. As I sat up, I saw someone who appeared to be my age. Maybe a student? Whoever he was, he had a...unique way of dressing. He was wearing a tan-like hood with a black blazer, jeans, and sneakers. His physical appearance seemed basic as well. Tan-like hair, pale eyes, and he seemed to be in more pain than I was.

I quickly deduced that he wasn't a threat and braced myself for awkwardness...; social skills aren't one of my strong suits. "Hey...are y-you ok?" What the-!? Did I just stutter?! How can a rebellious, hardcore swordsman like me stutter when meeting someone new?!

"Yeah...sorry about that, I didn't mean to startle you," he said shaking his head, as if trying to get the dizziness out of his head. He started to get up. He then looked at me with a grin, holding out his hand, "My names Makoto Naegi...and you are?"

"Ace, Ace Hogana." I took his hand, and he brought me to his level. He was kind of strong for a scrawny guy.

"Nice to meet you! Wow..," he takes a step back, looking at my swords on my back.

"Oh, don't worry. I can assure you that they aren't dangerous," I drew my right handed sword and swung it against the tree next to us, "See? It's just a practice sword I made."

Naegi laughed nervously, but was a little less tense from before. So far, so good, I guess. Naegi doesn't think I'm crazy, at least...I hope so. Anyway, Naegi and I quickly stirred up a conversation. It was rather random, talking about music, then my swords, his clothes, and so on. Then the topic about our Super Duper Talents came up.

"So, what's your talent, Ace?" Naegi asked.

"Well, I'm the SDHS Swordsman," I stop, drawing my swords.

"What a-are you doing?!" Naegi jumps back in fear.

"Relax Naegi, watch this." I get into ready stance, bringing my swords to shoulder length. I then lunge at a tree that seemed rather dead, spinning around, slashing it into a disc stack. Then, I kick them into the air, slashing them into half, then quarters, and again until they where tiny pellets. I then swung my swords, mostly showing off, I sheath them. "What do you think?"

Naegi was in state of awe. He then laughed, clapping. "Wow that was AMAZING! I wish I had a talent like that!"

"Well, what's your talent?" I asked.

"Nothing special, just the SDHS Luckster. It was given to me by default..." Naegi started to walk towards the front entrance, and I followed close by.

"What do you mean, 'by default'?" I curiously asked.

"Well, I was raffled into this place, I'm really nothing special." I jumped in front of him, giving him a stern look.

"Naegi, don't EVER say you're not special. You're the SDHS Luckster, be proud of it! I mean, won't that make you the luckiest kid in school? You can possibly end up being, like, the next Leper Coin." I placed my hand on Naegi's shoulder, "Listen, you may find out that your talent can end up saving your skin in a sticky situation."

Naegi nodded, he then looked into my eyes, full of _hope_. "Thanks for the pep-talk, Ace! I hope we can become really close friends." He then put out his fist.

Thinking it was a punch, I jumped back, bringing my fists up. "What was that for?!"

"Huh? Ooooooh, right, you aren't really brought up on modern customs..." Naegi then walked up to me, and bunted his fist against mine. It wasn't hard or soft, it was ...like enough force. I was utterly confused. "It's called a fist bump. People do it as a sign of friendship. Almost like a bow."

"...I think I get it know, thanks" Lowering my stance, I sighed. I then looked at my watch again. 7: 46. _Oh crud! We're gonna be late! _"Naegi! We gotta MOVE!"

Naegi then looked at his own watch, and jumped in shock. We both dashed towards the front and in about 5 seconds we bashed through the front door. We both panted for breath.

"Phew...that...was something..." I turned my head to Naegi, but I was then taken aback. Naegi was saying something I couldn't hear, and then...all of a sudden the world around me started to spin around...like a whirlpool. At first, I thought it was just my vision acting up...but after it continued to get worse, I wasn't so sure. I instantly thought it was some kind of drug, so I tried to shake it off, call for help, do SOMETHING to get someone else's attention for aid. Did anyone else see what was going on here?! I then remember motioning for my swords...and I blacked out...

Prologue: Welcome to Hope's Peak Academy!

Complete!

Act 1: Welcome to Despair's Academy!

Location: Unknown... Time: Unknown...

Upon waking up, I found myself sleeping...on a desk? _What? Naegi and… I... blacked out in the hallway...this doesn't make any sense..._ I thought. As I went to sit up, my head started ringing. I rubbed it, trying to ease the pain. "Darn...my head feels like a hammer bashed into it..."

Opening my eyes to check my surroundings, I found myself inside of a classroom. On the desk next to me appeared to be a pamphlet. _Oh… that's most likely my pamphlet I brought with me here..._ I picked it up, and upon examining it, I found out it wasn't mine at all. It was, in fact, some handmade brochure, with what appeared to be a...black and white bear appearing all over it:

**WeLcOmE StUdEnT!**

**My name is Monokuma! The headmaster here! Yeah baby! I want to congratulate you upon winning the opportunity of attending the school! We take pride knowing we have the **_**hope**_** of the future! Get your butt down to the main entrance by 8: 00 am! SHARP! I'll be waiting!**

**-Monokuma**

"What the heck?" is all I could say. Whoever this Monokuma was, he was making a very bad first impression. I got up, and looked at the windoo... "WHAT?! The Windows! They're boarded up!?" I pushed and punched against it, but it wouldn't budge. This is bad...I can't shake off this bad feeling that something very, very wrong is going on...

I did my best to calm myself, till I felt my pockets. My phone, ID, and money were all gone. "Darn it..." _Whoever did this had better quit the joke_, I told myself. I looked down at the brochure in my hand. _Main Entrance hall, huh? Well, I had better make my way there, before something bad happens!_ I dashed out the door, making my way down the school...

To Be Continued...


	2. Act 1: 1A, Greetings

Location: Hope's Peak...? Time: Unknown...

Ace's POV

I exited out the classroom, appalled on how the entire school was able to change in so little time. It seemed more _dark_ and _evil_ than a school full of _hope_. But I soon shook off the feeling of _uncertainty_.

I looked both ways down the hall, and both seemed to go on forever into darkness. _Where did the paper say to go again?_ I thought to myself. Looking at the brochure to check again, it says I need to make my way to the entrance hall. _If I want to make it there, I need to know where I am, first._ Taking a closer look at the brochure, I check the map drawn on it and I saw I was still some way away from the entrance hall. Actually, it was on the other side of the building! So, I dashed down the halls, wishing I made it on time.

On the way there, I passed numerous rooms; The Nurse's Office, which for some reason was sealed shut, a school shop, and what appeared to be a AV Room. _This school has everything!_ I thought, till I finally made my way to the front entrance hall. The door was open, and I could hear voices on the other side. _At least I'm not alone..._ Gathering my senses and nerves, I pressed onward into the hall.

Upon entering, a sea of faces greeted me. One of which was Naegi! Before I could even say hi to him, a rather calm, but threatening voice spoke out. "You're late." It was a tall, blonde kid with glasses. He had what appeared to be a rather expensive suit on with matching shoes.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to be late, but I woke up in a classroom on the other side of the school. Plus I don't even know how I got there...," I explained.

"Sorry, are you? No need to be. For this school is boring enough to put anyone to sleep. Well, I have to admit, it seems rather odd that that would happen to you as well." the guy placed his pointer and middle finger on the side of his head, as if thinking.

"What? Why do you say that?" I asked.

"Because everyone else had the same thing happen to them," said a girl with a red running jacket on.

Those words hit me like a blow. How!? How can the same thing happen to everyone else as well!? "Is this true?" I asked in a rather shaky voice.

Everyone either gave a silent nod or yes. This is strange...maybe I had better investigate around for a little. See what everyone else thinks about the situation. I made my way down, introducing myself to the others, starting with the blonde. "Well, I'm A-"

"I already know who you are, Ace Hogana, SDHS Swordsman, if I am not mistaken?" he asked certain of the answer.

"H-How did you-" I asked confused.

"My name is Byakuya Togami, the SDHS Scion, I know information on everyone in this room, so I won't need to converse with everyone else in the room. Leave me," he said dismissing me.

_He was kind of rude. _Anyway, let's go to the girl in the red jacket next.

She introduced herself, "Hiya! I am Aio Asahina, SDHS Swimmer! And you are?"

"Ace Hogana, SDHS Swordsman. Pleasure to meet you." We shook hands, and started up conversation on what's going on. According to Asahina, everyone else remembers walking into the entrance, and had the same experience I had, the sensation of losing vision...and blacking out. _This is bad._

"Ace? You ok?" Asahina asked.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine. I was just lost in thought, my bad." I replied.

"Oh, OK! Well, I suggest you introduce yourself to the others, because I don't think it would be good if someone didn't know you," She started to giggle and rub her head.

"Yeah. Nice talking to you, Asahina!" I said moving on.

"Same here!" she called out.

As we parted ways, I made my way to a kid who appeared to be reading a manga. "Hey there."

"AAAaah, so, you are the Legendary Master Ace Hogana? The user of Dual-Blades?! SDHS SWORDSMAN?!" the kid asked excitedly.

"Y-yeah, I guess my reputation precedes me..." I stated embarrassed.

"Excellent! I am Hifumi Yamada, SDHS Otaku! At your service! May I interest you in some of my manga?" he offered.

"Thanks, but I actually need to get to know the others. I promise I'll get back to you though, alright Yamada?" I said walking away.

"Of course, my guild shall always be open to you! I could use skills like yours!" Yamada then bowed, glasses flashing like lightning.

_He's great! I like him!_ Having a great smile on my face, I move on to...wow. I knew she was a girl...but she was HUGE!

"Greetings...I am Sakura Oogami, SDHS Fighter, and you must be the SDHS Swordsman, Ace Hogana?" Oogami greeted me.

"Y-yeah, I am." I responded.

"Pleasure to meet you. Do you mind if I test your body?" she asked kindly.

"Huh? Oh, you mean...yeah, I don't mind at all..." I answered confused at first.

Sakura then proceeded to evaluate my body. Nodding on every angle she found.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked feeling exposed.

"To see if you are a good person to spare with, which is the case. I'll look forward to sparing with you one day." she commented.

"Likewise! I wouldn't so easily pass up a good chance like this!" After bunting fists, we heard what appeared to be an argument.

Turning to greet it, I see Naegi and some weird hair guy arguing. Maizuno, the SDHS Idol, which I recognize from T.V. and her music I listen to, tried to break up the fight, along with someone who appeared to be...Leon, the SDHS All-Star.

Then, the crazy-hair guy looked as if he was cocking his arm, ready to punch. _Crud!_ I rushed to put myself between the two and I grabbed his fist just before he was able to punch Naegi. "I wouldn't do that if I were you!"

The crazy-hair guy yelled, "What the-?! What the HECK do you think you're doing? Butting in on our business!?"

"Naegi, you alright?" speaking to Naegi without turning my back on the crazy-hair guy.

Naegi replied, "Yeah, just a little frustrated..."

"Hey do you know who you're messing with?! I'm Mondo Oowada, SDHS Biker! Leader of the CRAZY DIAMONDS!" Oowada announced.

Oowada took a swing with his left hand. I easily dodged the punch, and I then pulled his right arm to my left hip. Since he had bad balance, he flew forward. Using his momentum, I moved my left hand's grip from his wrist to his bicep, and put my arm through his left arms opening. I then put my right leg over his legs, performing a hip toss. I flipped him over onto the ground. He was stunned for a moment, but got up quickly. He then pulled out a knife that was stashed inside his coat pocket. At the sight of that, everyone backed away with fear and caution, until two girls came up in between us.

"Enough! Now isn't the time to be fighting amongst ourselves!" one girl stated.

"Indeed! Put the knife away, Oowada!" the other girl commanded.

"You can't tell me what to do!" Oowada refused.

"I can, and will! DO IT!" the other girl said firmly.

Oowada, grunting at the command, but put his knife back into his coat and walked to the wall. He was probably swearing under his breath. The two girls then walked up to me. One had a leather jacket, similar to mine, and it had gloves on her hands. She also had long, flowing whitish hair. The other one also had long hair but she was a brunette, and she...looked somewhat familiar...

"Hey, sorry about Oowada. Did he get you in any way?" the white haired girl said apologizing.

"No, not that he could..." I stated in the matter of fact.

The white haired girl started the introductions, "That's a relief...anyway, my name is Kyoko Kirigiri, and this is my friend, Jade Kurosaki, the SDHS Swordsman..."

_Huh? ANOTHER SDHS Swordsman?! How is that even possible?! _I thought to myself confused.

Jade waves saying, "Hi there!"

"You're another SDHS Swordsman?!" I asked doubting the earlier statement.

Jade confused on the confusion, "Huh? Another...wait a minute...are you the one I fought in the Tokyo National Finals?!"

Kirigiri picking up on the tension, "You two know each other? Well, you guys can catch up on old times. I am going to check on Oowada and get him to hand over the knife before anyone dies..." Kirigiri made her leave and Jade nor I made an attempt at trying to stop her.

It was weird to see someone who you have previously fought with in a swordfight not too long ago...and I couldn't believe she was here...

"So...how have you been since the tournament?" Jade broke the silence first.

I replied, "Well, after the tournament, I traveled overseas to the U.S. to train. What about you?"

"I stayed in Tokyo to train with my master, till I found out my mother had me enrolled into here." Jade stated.

"Well, at least since your here, we can have a rematch" I said cheerful.

"Oh, you bet!" she said excitedly.

We each looked at each other and laughed. It was nice seeing Jade again and I had already made a couple of new friends...some more than others. Then, we all heard the announcement system came on. It had a static screen on it for a minute or so, but it then opened into a silhouette of...what appeared to be a bear?

"Ahem...Sup Guys! It's the sexiest, most well known thing in the entire galaxy, MONOOOOOOOKUUUMAAAA! Thank you, thank you. Hold your applause," a voice called out in a greeting tone.

Everyone looked confused and a little girl who I hadn't been able to get to introduce myself to seemed to be hiding behind Oogami. _Wonder what's she scared about? _I thought to myself.

"Anywhoooo, I need you guys to get your butts over the Gym, ASAP. And you had better not keep me waiting! I'll get BEARY upset if you dooo! Upupupup!" And just like that, the silhouette vanished.

Everyone was quiet at first. Heck, I don't even think anyone breathed.

"I'm going..." Togami said, and left us without another word. A girl with glasses and a black dress followed close behind, nearly drooling...ugh.

"I guess we should all head there..." Kirigiri said and left as well. She was followed by Asahina, Oogami, the girl that hid behind her, and Oowada.

Maizuno and Naegi left as well, along with Yamada trailing behind.

There was another girl who dressed in gothic clothing who went as well. She waved to me as she walked out. "Bye lovebirds, names Celestia Ludenburg by the way..." she said as she passed.

After she said that, both Jade and I were blushing. That's also when Jade and I realized that we were the only ones left in the room. We both darted out of the room, passing Celestia as we did so. Whatever that situation was back there, I HOPE that doesn't happen again. Well, maybe I liked the fact that happened. A-anyway, we continued dashing down the halls, until we came to the Gym's doors. As we did, Jade stopped dead in her tracks and she looked stressed.

"Jade?" I asked concerned.

"Ace...I just got a big sense of _despair_...like, something terrible is going to happen through those doors...do you feel that evil energy?" Jade asked feeling worried.

After she said that word..._despair_...I felt an evil aura coming from those doors... "Jade...no matter the _despair_, we need to push onward. I know you're scared, but there is no need to be..."

She looked at me with a rather sad face. "W-why is that?"

"U-uh...well, see...I'll...protect you...and make sure we make it through this..." I started to blush uncontrollably and I thought she started too, but I couldn't tell. She then walked up to me and gave me a hug. I was in shock from the sudden hug and I was dumbstruck.

"Thanks Ace," she then looked up to me, "but I think the protecting part should belong to me!" She then punched me in the arm playfully and went into the doors with _hope_ beaming from her.

All I could do is laugh. "Get back here!" I said, as I chased after her...

To Be Continued...


	3. Act 1: 1B, Enter Monokuma!

Hello everyone, me again! I would like to thank you all for reading my Fanfic! I thank you all so much! And now without further ado, back to the story!

Location: Hope's Peak Academy, Trophy Room Time: 8:15 am

I pushed through the doors entering into what appeared to be a trophy room. Jade, Naegi, and the girl in the black dress and glasses from earlier were here as well, doing their own thing.

_I should talk to them; see what their procrastination is for..._ I thought. I made my way to Naegi, who was looking at the trophies in the trophy case. "Hey Naegi,"

As I said that he exclaimed and slipped backwards. I caught him in the nick of time, just before he fell on his back. "Ace?! Geez, give me a heart attack, why don't you..."

"Sorry...anyway, what you doing?" I asked.

"Oh, I'm looking at the trophy case...to think they have so many different trophies in all different fields, it's...unbelievable..." Naegi then pointed to the case, it shows many trophies and a practice sword in gold leaf.

"Yeah, it's pretty neat. Anyway, Naegi...what do you think is going on?" I asked curious.

"Well...what is there TO think? I mean...what can you think about a situation like this?" Naegi's right...what can we think about this? Only the headmaster, this Monokuma, can explain everything for us...

"You're right...our best bet is to head in the Gym, and see what Monokuma has to say..." I said determined.

"Your right...also, I never got the chance to thank you for saving my skin back there, when Oowa-" Naegi started to say.

"It's ok, Naegi. No need to thank me. I mean we have to stick together, right?" I stated.

"Yeah, guess your right!" We bumped fists, laughing. I then looked over to the girl with the black dress.

She saw me looking at her, and her reaction was weird...she screamed, grabbing her two hair braids. "Why do all boys stare at me?! Is it because I'm UGLY!? IS THAT IT?!"

"What? No, that's-" I stuttered. Too late. She ran into the Gym, freaking out and rambling on. "Whaa...what did I do?"

"Oh, that wasn't your fault, Ace. That was Toko Fukawa, the SDHS Bookworm. She's...very timid." Naegi said encouragingly.

Timid or not, I still say that's a little overboard...I mean, was it really necessary to run out screaming like some homicidal maniac? "O-ok..." was all I could say.

Minutes past, Naegi and I stood there in awkward silence, till Naegi broke the ice. "Hey, I'm going to head into the Gym, ok? I think Maizuno might be waiting for me, and I promised her I would catch up to her..." Naegi then went bright pink, scratching his head.

"Oh, I see...do I sense a little crush in the air?" I said, teasingly.

Naegi blushed more; turning into a shade of crimson-red. "N-no way! C-come on!"

I looked at Naegi with an eyebrow raised. He started to sweat beads and he was blushing redder and redder.

"Are you suuuuure?" I teased eyeing him down.

I admit I was enjoying myself a lot, until Naegi came up with a comeback. "I-I'm sure. Actually, I'm 100%! Also, what about Jade? I'm sure you have a crush on Jade!"

Now it was my turn to blush. All of a sudden, images of Jade flushed into my mind and I couldn't stop.

"W-what are you talking about?!" I must have been redder than my jacket because I felt my face getting really hot.

Naegi then gave a rather evil smile, but started to laugh. "Hahaha! Alright Ace, we've had enough fun, lets head on in!"

I glared at him, but my face still revealed that I was flustered. I turned to look around the room, and it appeared that Jade had already gone inside the Gym. That made me kind of upset, but I realized that wasn't going to be the last time I saw her. After adjusting my straps of my swords, Naegi and I pushed through the doors, walking into the Gym.

Everyone appeared to have been waiting on us. They all called us over to the front of the Gym, where it showed banners of Hope's Peak Academy. There were no chairs, and there was a teacher's stand in front of the room. Scanning the room, I saw Asahina, Sakura, and the little girl all conversing with one another. Togami was standing alone, but it appeared that Fukawa was...admiring him?

"Ugh..." I shivered at the thought. I mean, what was there to like about Togami?! Trying to shake that feeling out of my head, I continued to scan the area. I saw that Oowada was standing off to the side, glaring at me. I guess he hadn't gotten over the fight we had in the entrance hall. Not too far away from them, Yamada and Leon where talking, while Celes was next to them, fiddling with her hair. Maizuno, Jade, and Naegi were all spread out around the Gym, waiting anxiously for the appearance for Monokuma. I then felt a presence behind me. Gripping my right sword's handle, I turned to face the person behind me. It was Kirigiri. "K-Kirigiri?! What are you doing? You scared the heck out of me..."

"I wanted to talk to you..." Kirigiri said tense.

It seemed urgent. She seemed to be in severe stress, and was breathing very heavily. Just as I was about to ask her what the problem was, the announcement system came on. We all directed our attention to the stand, but it was still empty.

"What is the Meaning of this!?" Togami demanded.

"W-what's going on?!" asked the little girl scared.

Asahina called out, "Come on already! Show yourself!"

"Making my W-White Knight wait like this?! Unexceptionable!" Fukawa complained.

Shivering to what Fukawa was implying, I turned to Kirigiri. "Kirigiri, can it wait till after this settles down?"

"Y-yes, it appears that there is no choice. Please see me whenever you can, ok?" she said sadly.

I nodded my head and we looked at the announcement stand. We then heard a childish and slightly annoying voice.

"Ahem...Hello? Is this on?!" Then we saw the most unimaginable thing ever. A black and white bear, similar to the one on my brochure, jumped up, and landed on top of the stand. "What's up, guys?! Your friendly, neighborhood bear is here! Monokuma, your headmaster!"

We were all in disbelief. This bear...this TOY bear just talked. Naegi said in disbelief, "W-what the?!"

Yamada screams, "YAAAAAA! THE BEAR SPEAKS!"

"That's creepy..." Jade said feeling disturbed.

Togami criticized the situation, "It's just a plush toy with a speaker in it..."

Monokuma upset, "WHAT?! I am NOT a toy! I am MONOKUMA! Your headmaster!" He then got up, and raised his tiny arms up into the air, as if he were roaring. This is the weirdest day of my life...

Yamada screams again, "YAAAAAAAA! It moves!"

"Did I just see it...move?" Leon doubting what is being seen.

Maizuno concerned, "What's going on?!"

"I-is it a robot?" the little girl wondered.

Celes said amazed, "Oh My...this is indeed odd..."

Monokuma: "Listen to me already! Geez, I'm Monokuma, the headmaster! Not a plush! Not a Robot! Anyway...I would like to welcome you all to Hope's Peak Academy! I would like to explain to you all the reason why you are here. First off, you guys are going to being living the rest of your lives in this academy!"

Those words hit me like a ton of bricks. _What did he mean by that?!_ I turned to the others around me, and they all had the same expression as I had. Fear and despair all over our faces.

Monokuma continued, "That's right! You all will stay here for the rest of your miserable lives! So get buddy buddy with each-other!"

Leon yelled outraged, "W-what are you talking about?! You can't do this!"

The little girl asked terrified, "Is he serious?! Are we trapped here?!"

Naegi said putting two and two together, "Wait...so that means...the iron plates on the windows were-"

Monokuma confirmed, "Yep! Sure does! Those are to keep you in!"

I can't believe this! He's just acting so nonchalant about this, playing around on the stand, while we were all freaking out! Monokuma then pulled out a pile of...what appeared to be mini-tablets?

Monokuma continued talking, "Since I love you guys so much, I'm going to give you these! They are Electro ID's! No need to thank me; your smiles are the only thing I need! These babies are so neat! They open up with your Real name, they are nearly unbreakable, and they give you maps of the school! You can also teleport to places you have already been to in the school with them, look at the rules of the school, and do more things that will become relevant later on. Here you go!"

Throwing them to the crowd, we each caught our Electro ID's. I pressed the power button, investigating what they did. Like Monokuma said, they opened with a screen saying: "Welcome, Ace Hogana". I looked up and everyone had disbelief written on their faces. Even Kirigiri was shaken up by them.

Asahina protested, "Hey! I can't stay here forever! You can't do this! Let us out, now!"

Monokuma laughed, "Upupupupu...you wanna know how to get out?!" Nearly all of us shouted yes. Monokuma simply laughed his annoying, creepy, and eerie laugh. That laugh is going to haunt my dreams and nightmares. "Upupupu! You have to kill someone!"

These words left us all silent. Monokuma wanted us...to KILL each-other?! No way...this can't be happening...This is some dream...this just can't be it! Murder someone?! Just to leave a building?!

Monokuma gladly rephrased, "You heard me! Slice 'em, drown 'em, beat 'em, shoot 'em, choke 'em, snap their neck, I don't care! Just murder someone if you wanna leave!"

Everyone seemed to go into panic. The little girl started to cry and Sakura trying to calm her.

Leon yelled in frustration, "Dude! What the Flip! The joke's been taken too far!"

Monokuma answered in a calm manner, "Joke? Oh, nonono, I am **dead** serious! A bear never goes back on his word!"

Togami astounded, "Interesting...this is indeed, very interesting."

Other than Togami, everyone was gripped by the claws of _despair_. I turned to Kirigiri, but she had nothing to say. Though she didn't show it, she was indeed in shock. I next turned to Naegi, but he was shaken up badly. I had to do something! This Bear had no control over us! I drew my dual-blades, and dashed at Monokuma, yelling a battle cry. Everyone stood frozen, but Kirigiri and Jade cried out.

Jade cried out, "Ace! Are you mad!?"

Kirigiri yelled, "Don't do it!"

Monokuma shrieked, "Wait! You can't! It's against the rules to hurt the hea-"

I didn't let him finish. He has no right to scare us all like this! I lashed out, swinging my blades in a cross slash. Monokuma, the desk, and nearly everything in my way were slashed into pieces. As soon as I finished the slash, I saw a gun appear from where the stand was. Everyone behind me jumped for cover and I used my momentum to push off the stage. It shot barbs at me at lightning speeds. I slashed rapidly deflecting 2 out of the 3, but one got me, though it merely grazed me. Pain shot up my arm, and blood flowed like a river from my wound. When I landed, I sheathed my swords, and covered my wound with my hand.

Jade rushed to my side, first smacking my head, but then hugging me. "You Idiot! Why would you do that?!"

"Sorry...but it should be done now...it should be o-" I started to say.

Monokuma asked appearing out of nowhere, "What are you talking about?"

We all screamed. Monokuma was alive, and MOVING!? But I slashed him to bits, he shouldn't be standing!

Leon asked confused, "What?! Did he miss?!"

Yamada answered stunned, "Ace never misses! This is witchcraft!"

Celes amazed, "Oh, Yamada..."

Sakura asked bewildered, "How can this be?!"

Naegi started to say, "What is going oooon..."

Monokuma stated, "Oh, there are thousands of Monokuma's like me placed all over the school, so I can pop up everywhere!"

Fukawa asked horrified, "E-Everywhere?!"

Monokuma reconsidered, "Well, maybe not in the baths, I mean, that would be stalker status! Anyway, you're lucky, Ace, that I'm in a good mood, so I won't kill you. I'll let you off on a warning! Adios, comtaminos!"

And just like that...he was gone. This started the Academic coliseum. This started the blood bath, all stage by Monokuma. We all looked at each-other, and I was willing to bet my swords that everyone was thinking the same thing: _Who in here would kill for freedom?_

To Be Continued...


	4. Act 1: 1C, Aftermath

Hi everyone, me again. I just realized a mistake I did. Monokumo should actually Monokuma! I'm sorry I got it mixed up XD I won't do it again! I have updated the chapters with the typos, but still, it's kind of funny, don't you think? Well anyway, without further a due back to the story!

Location: Gym Time: 9:00 am

_Would anyone...really kill to escape_? We all thought to ourselves. _If what Monokuma said is true...then we can only escape with murdering someone..._

_This is insane..._ I thought to myself. Still clutching my slightly bleeding arm, I stood up looking around at everyone's faces. Fukawa, Yamada, and Leon were all panicking, while Maizuno, Asahina, and Sakura were trying to calm down the little girl. Even Oowada seemed in shock, having been frozen in place for the past 10 minutes. Celes seemed to be deep in thought, as if considering her options...and Togami was...smiling?! It looked rather sly. How can someone even Attempt to smile in a situation like this?!

"An Academic Coliseum, huh? Heh, seems this school isn't so boring, after all..." Togami stated still smiling.

"How can you even say that!? Ack-!" Trying to argue Togami's new found love for this...this "academic coliseum, I ended up making my injury worse. I dropped to one knee, cradling my shoulder. It was extremely painful...I think the barbs sent at me had something on them that made them make an injury hurt so then pulled out what seemed to be wraps, and started to wrap my arm. Naegi and Kirigiri rushed to my side.

Kirigiri explained, "Don't bother trying to argue with Togami, right now. We need to calm everyone down so we can regroup."

Naegi agreed, "Kirigiri's right...so how are going to do that?"

Jade suggested, "Maybe we can use a blow horn?"

"No...Let's try this!" I said with an idea. Cupping my hands around my mouth, I shouted as loud as I could. "EVERYONE! QUIET DOWN!" Not best idea ever... _Note to self, don't move injured arm till it has healed..._ Everyone then decided to look up to us.

Kirigiri raised her hand so that everyone had attention on her. "Is everyone listening? Good. Now, I know everyone is scared right now, but panicking is not going to help solve an-"

"E-Easy for you to say! D-Did you not here Monokuma!?" Fukawa interrupted.

Maizuno continued the point, "Yeah...it's nearly impossible not to panic. I mean...we're trapped here."

Kirigiri tries to make her point, "I know what Monokuma said and I know we are trapped. But if we are able to come together, we will get out of here. I promise." Everyone looked at Kirigiri. Her eyes flared _hope_ and _determination_.

"Well...for starters, let's see how durable those iron plates are over there," Naegi pointed to the iron sheets that covered the windows around the Gym.

Sakura, Jade, and I made our way to the iron plates. Sakura went to take a shoot, "I'll see if it can stand a blow!"

Asahina cheered her on, "You can do it, Sakura!"

Sakura got into a stance gracefully positioning herself for a punch. Then almost like lightning, Sakura punched the iron. That punched made the entire floor shake...but no luck. There wasn't even a dent! Sakura punched and kicked again and again, but no such luck occurred. Eventually, she gave up.

Next, Jade stepped forward, drawing her sword. "Alright...here goes!" Jade dashed at the iron, slashing rapidly.

Thrusting and slashing like an angel...wait, what am I thinking?! DARN IT! You heard nothing from me! If you say anything, I'll hunt you down!

Ahem, anyway, not a single scratch was made. Though, she continued to go at it for a few minutes, but stopped after a while. Now, I went forward drawing my left sword only, due to obvious reasons...

Jade stated doubtingly, "Ace, if my sword won't make a scratch and Sakura's punches and kicks can't do anything, what makes you think you, injured, can make a difference?"

I smirked with _determination_ flaring in my eyes. "Because I'm stronger with my left arm!" And with that, I dashed at the iron. I spun, building momentum, and finally, I slashed the iron, it irrupting with sparks. Everyone took cover and I was blown back by the shock of my slash...but it was great! I managed to pierce the iron! Everyone felt overjoyed; praising me for making through it...but an annoying voice returned...

Monokuma asked furiously, "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Just WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"

Naegi yelled from the surprise, "YAAA! Where did you come from?!"

Yamada screamed and panicked, "AAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEE! THE DEVIL BEARS BACK!"

Monokuma said feeling hurt, "Devil Bear? That's mean...you hurt my feelings..."

"What is it? Answer before I slash you into oblivion!" I proclaimed.

Kirigiri asked, "Why are you here?"

"It would appear Monokuma's upset at what you are doing..." Celes replied guessing.

Oowada responded to the obvious statement, "Thanks, Miss-Know-It-All! No one could have figured it out without your help..."

Celes responded happily, "Oh, you are certainly most welcome!"

Oowada grinded his teeth, "Grrrrrr..."

Monokuma answered himself, "100% Upset! Don't know how to read?!" Monokuma then pulled out what appeared to be a list. He then scanned it and then threw it away. "Did you guys even read the Rules?!"We all shook our heads and Monokumo face palmed himself.

Togami curiously asked, "Explain?"

Monokuma jumps into it the explanation, "You got it! Anyway, turn on the Electro ID's I gave ya and in the menu there is the tap called Rule List!"

Doing as Monokuma instructed us to do we all looked at the rules:

Hope's Peak Academy Rules

Rule 1:

Students may reside only within the school. Leaving campus is unacceptable use of time!

Rule 2:

"Nighttime" is from 10 pm to 7 am. Some areas are off-limits at night, so please exercise caution.

Rule 3:

Sleeping anywhere other than the dormitory will be seen as sleeping in class and punished accordingly.

Rule 4:

With minimal restrictions, you are free to explore Hope's Peak Academy at your desecration.

Rule 5:

Violence against the headmaster, Monokuma, is strictly prohibited as is destruction of cameras

Rule 6:

Anyone who kills a fellow student and becomes "blackened" will graduate unless they are discovered

Rule 7:

Additional school regulations may be added if necessary

After reading over the rules a number of times, I realized something. Rule #1. That bloody rule. Is that what Monokuma was talking about!? We can't bust out of here unless we were willing to have Monokuma punish us with whatever punishment he had in store for us. From looking at the Gatling-gun that appeared when I "killed" Monokuma, I would say he has the potential power to kill all of us. If he wanted to.

Monokuma explained, "See?! You are NOT allowed to go breaking rules, ya know! I would get beary upset if I found you breaking a rule again! Upupupupu..." And just as random and quickly Monokuma appeared, he vanished. The iron plate that I had slashed through reinforced itself back to its original state.

Sakura punched the wall in anger. Jade and I hung our heads in shame. There really was no way out! I hate the fact that I haven't a way to get everyone out of here!

But just then, Kirigiri and Naegi took charge and they rounded us all up again. Naegi said strongly, "Hey. Come on guys, this isn't over yet!"

Kirigiri said backing Naegi, "Naegi's right. Just because we can't bust out, doesn't mean we can't find another way out of here."

Maizuno questioned the situation, "But...how are going to get out?"

Fukawa claimed freaked out, "W-We already know how! A-All you have t-t-to do is murder! But u-us weaklings will get picked off one by one!"

Celes stated, "You will die."

Everyone stared at Celes. She made that comment... to Fukawa? What did she mean by that? Surely she didn't mean...

Fukawa asked offended, "What d-did you say?!"

Celes broke it down, "You will die. If you continue to cling onto the fact that you are a "weakling" and that there is nothing you can do about it. Then you will die. You need to learn how to adapt to this environment to survive." Those words must have been as sharp as knives because Fukawa stopped arguing and remained silent. Celes sure can be harsh...

Togami cutting in, "Well...I think it's about time I take my leave..."

As Togami was about to walk out, Naegi ran up to him. "Where are you going? You can't just abandon your friends!"

Togami stopped, but did not look back. Instead, he merely tilted his head toward Naegi. "Can you really call them all your friends?"

"Of course I can!" Naegi stated with certainty.

Togami replied, "Then I guess you will end up being betrayed...don't cling to 'friends'. They only cloud your judgment and your way of thinking."

Naegi confused, "W-what?"

Celes yells to Togami, "Wait! Togami, before you go, there's a propitiation that I would like everyone to hear."

Togami then turned around looking at Celes' direction. "Well?"

Celes continued having everyone's attention, "Ahem...You see how in the rules state that at 10 pm is the start of nighttime? Well, I propose we all have a curfew at 10, so no one gets any ideas on murdering. Does everyone agree?" Everyone shook their heads and Celes giggled. "Excellent! Now, you can leave, Togami. I am going to the dormitory...chao!"

And with that Togami left. Yamada and Leon followed him out, saying they were going to follow him. Fukawa wasn't too far behind as well. Celes also made her leave, but as she did, she did a rather dramatic bow to everyone who was left in the Gym, then exited. Asahina, Sakura, and the little girl left as well, saying that they were going to see if there was a place to get something to eat.

Naegi and Maizuno walked up to me with a stern look. Naegi said frustrated, "That Togami...he's a jerk..."

Maizuno agreeing, "I wish he didn't imply that he was going to enjoy this..."

"I don't disagree..." is the only thing I could say.

Jade said joining in, "Me neither... that guy needs some serious help..."

Kirigiri states, "Agree or disagree, leave Togami be. Like it or not, we'll need his help down the line."

Then out of nowhere, Naegi was shoved to the ground. Oowada purposely knocked him to the ground as he passed by. Maizuno went to Naegi's aid and so did Kirigiri.

Oowada rudely says, "Out of my way."

"Real professional, pick on people who you know can't beat you..." I said as he passed.

Oowada turned and replied, "What did you say?"

Jade went to get in between us, but Kirigiri pulled her from between us. Oowada and I locked eyes, neither of us seemed like we were going to back down. Jade was trying to get to us, but Kirigiri wouldn't let her. When I went to look in Jade's direction, Oowada made his move. He punched me right in my jaw. I admit, he can pack a punch, but the way he did was so dirty. I flew a couple of feet, till I landed on my back. I heard yelling and I saw figures moving around...but I blacked out...

Location: Unknown... Time: Unknown...

Sometime later, I woke with a start. When I woke, pain shot up my arm and jaw. As I analyzed my surroundings, I realized that I was still at Hope's Peak. I was in a dorm from the looks of the room. My room, to be exact...it was pretty plain. I guess it was because I hadn't had the chance to decorate it yet. I sat up to the edge of my bed massaging my chin. _Man...Oowada packs a punch...though, we have to find a way to at least get along...like Celes said, we need to adapt._

Turning to my left, my jacket was hung up next to where my swords were. _Someone...brought me back? _I got up and I put on my jacket. As I was doing so, I looked up to the clock near the ceiling. My jaw nearly dropped. 9: 45 pm?! I've been knocked out for a little more than 12 hours?! Panicking, I hurried to strap my blades on and ran to the door. As I opened it, someone on the other side was there. Since I was running, I tackled the person. We twirled in mid-air, the person landing on top of me. I looked at the person and I immediately went crimson-red. It was Jade...and she landed on top of me!

"Ow! What the-" I think she noticed that it was me to because she stopped in mid-sentence and started to blush as deep as I did. There we were eyes locked and blushing. The moment was broken, however, by Jade. She quickly got off of me, but sat next to me. I sat up as well, but we were both flustered...

"H-Hi Jade..." I said in an awkward tone.

"Hi..." she replied in kind.

"H-How did I get in..." I started to ask.

"Oh...I carried you there...I hope it wasn't a problem..." she explained.

"No! Not at all, thank you very much!" I quickly reassured her.

"You really mean that?!" she asked cheerfully.

"Of course! I would probably still be in the gym if it weren't for you!" I explained.

This made Jade blush the reddest shade of blush ever seen, but she smiled. "Thank you!"

We positioned ourselves against the door to my room, sitting side by side. "So, how was it being knocked out by Oowada?" Jade finally asked.

"See, I wasn't knocked out by Oowada particularly...It was his hairstyle!" I joked. We both started to laugh joking about Oowada's hairstyle and catching up on old times. It was rather amazing that we had this time together! Seeing her smile...seeing her full of _hope_... It was the most perfect feeling anyone would ever have.

Jade then caught me looking at her and blushed and started to play with her hair. "W-what's wrong, Ace?"

_Crud, she noticed!_ I look away, slightly embarrassed. "N-nothing! It's nothing at all...it's...it's ju-"

DING DONG DING DOOONG...

Senses heightened, we looked over to the T.V. on the wall, where Monokuma holding a drink in his hand, appeared. I felt my fists tighten screaming to go after him, but I didn't… Trying to make sure I didn't break anymore rules...for Jade's sake, anyway.

Monokuma announced, "Hey guys! It's now 10: 00. Nighttime is now in effect, so the Cafeteria will now be locked. No one is allowed in there! Sweet Dreams!" The T.V. then turned off the transmission, showing the school emblem.

Sighing, I was a little disappointed by the timing of that. Well, I guess it was time to say good bye...Jade seemed disappointed as well. "Darn it...well, I guess this is good night..."

"Yeah, I guess so-" Jade said in agreement.

As we both went to get up, Jade's hand fell onto mine. Her hand had a warm...gentle touch to it. This made Jade jump blushing madly, but as she did so, she slipped. Reacting fast, I caught her in a wedding-style. For moment, our eyes meet again and we didn't move.

After a while, Celes came down the hall and smiled a she passed by. "Nighty night, love birds..."

We both shot up. Jade proclaimed, "What?! Me love him?! No way!"

I spoke in the same as Jade, "What?! Me love her?! Not a chance!"

We both parted ways. I entered my room, while she dashed toward her own. As we parted, we had smiles, knowing that we would become very close...and maybe...just maybe...

As I entered my room, I toke off my jacket, swords, and jeans, and put on my pj's that Monokuma provided. It was weird because they were the same type of pj's I had at home, but I didn't bring any clothes with me, besides the clothes I had on. Coincidence? Maybe... I jumped onto my bed, falling asleep upon contact. That night, I dreamed about Jade.

Happy, loving memories...the best dream I had ever seen...

Monokuma Time!

"Hello People! I think that this batch of **hopefuls** will do us nicely! But there are LOVE BIRDS IN HERE! Ace x Jade and Naegi x Maizuno...or maybe Kirigiri...Heck, I don't know, but I'll figure it out eventually. I once fell into love, but another bear took her because he was BIGGER! How messed up is that, Huh?!

To Be Continued...


	5. Act 1: 1D, Freetime (Part 1)

"When I draw my swords, I don't only just draw a weapon. I also draw my partners and with my partners, I share a bond. If you have a partner, then you have a bond. If you have a bond, then you and your partner will share a friendship that will last a lifetime..." ~Ace Hogana

Location: Ace's Room Time: 7: 00

DING DONG DING DOOOONG!

I woke with a start, nearly having a heart attack. Thinking that someone was trying to kill me, I flipped over drawing my dual-blades waiting for an enemy to strike. However, there was no one there. Scanning the area, I realized where I was. I was at Hope's Peak...the place that I was trapped in...I sheathed my blades, sighing in relief. Hearing a static noise, I looked up to the monitor that was in my room. The screen fizzled around a little, till it showed Monokuma eating pancakes.

Monokuma greeted, "Hello Guys! RISE AND SHINE! Let's put our best foot forward today! Also, today's pancake day, so hurry up before they run out!" After that announcement the monitor was off.

''Put our best foot forward? More like 'Kill each other for my amusement!'..." I said in anger. I hate Monokuma...He's gonna pay for this...

Ugh...I slide off of my bed, dragging myself to get dressed. After making my bed and doing everything I normally did in the morning, I made my way to the doors with my swords strapped tightly to my back. As I pushed through the doors, Oowada was waiting for me. At first, I thought Oowada wanted to have another go, so I grabbed my right sword's hilt.

However, Oowada held his hands up. "Chill man, I just want to talk..."

Still staying on guard, I let go of my sword's hilt crossing my arms. "You have my attention. For how long, I don't even know, so speak."

Oowada then put out his hand as if he wanted me to shake it. At first, I thought he was joking, so I gave him a sarcastic look. "What are you doing?"

"Look, I'm sorry for being a jerk, alright? I know I haven't been the kindest gentlemen, but I realized that what I did was wrong...so, can we call a truce? Can you forgive me, dude?" Oowada apologized.

Again, I was expecting someone to throw up a sign saying 'Jokes on you!'...but it looked like Oowada was sincere about his apology. I took his hand using my dead-lock grip. Oowada winced a little at the pain, but tightened his grip as well. "Ok, fine. But don't be a jerk again; I would hate to flip you again..."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. Just hurry up and get to the Cafeteria, alright?" Oowada waved the comment away.

Shaking my head yes, Oowada let go of my hand and started walking to the Cafeteria. Sighing, I turned on my Electro ID and I looked at the map. After finding out my location and where the Cafeteria was, I found that Naegi was near my location. He was in the Storage Room. _Why is he in there?_ I thought.

Turning my Electro ID off, I dashed over to the Storage Room and found Naegi there. "Hey Naegi!"

"Oh, hi Ace, what's up?" Naegi seemed to be looking for something because there was about 3-5 boxes surrounding him.

"Nothing much, what are you doing?" I asked curiously.

"Oh, I was looking fooooor...ah, here it is." Naegi held up a couple of plates," plates for breakfast. There wasn't any in the Kitchen. Mind helping me to get these to the Cafeteria?"

"No problem!" I replied.

Naegi staked up as many plates as I could carry, which was all of them and we made our way to the Cafeteria. On the way, we said hello to Asahina. As we neared our destination, I decided to see if Naegi knew the little girl's name. I thought I should at least know her name when we got the chance to talk to one another.

"Hey Naegi, do you know the little girl? The one in the green dress?" I asked looking where I was going.

Naegi looked confused and then snapped with his face lighting up as if he solved a scientific problem. "Oh, you mean Fujusaki? She's the SDHS Programmer; really good with anything with a screen."

"Fujusaki, huh?" I thought about Fujusaki for a second. The SDHS Programmer...she seems so small, almost childlike. If I hadn't known any better, I would've guessed she was a grade-school student. Still processing these thoughts in my mind, I hadn't noticed we had entered the Cafeteria; where Leon, Oowada, Fujusaki, Sakura, and Asahina where waiting for us.

Naegi called out, "I've got the plates!"

Asahina said excitedly, "Finally! I've been dying for donuts for the past 15 minutes!"

"Can't you just use your hands to eat donuts?" Leon asked.

"Yeah, but I pile them on; more than you could eat, I bet!" Asahina challenged.

Leon accepted, "You're on!"

Just then, Kirigiri and Fukawa walked out with plates of pancakes and donuts. At first, I thought it was a little gross...I mean, who would eat donuts and pancakes together? But then hunger slashed at my stomach...as they all cheered on sight, I realized how hungry I really was. _Guess it couldn't hurt to try it, I guess..._

So we arranged everything for the table and at that moment, Celes, Jade, Yamada, and Togami entered the Cafeteria.

"Sorry I was late, took longer to shine my sword than I thought." Jade grinned.

"It appears everyone is here," Fujusaki said happily.

Kirigiri called them over, "Dig in everyone. We won't accomplish anything with empty stomachs."

"Oh, goodie. Pancakes. Yamada, do you mind fetching me a plate of those delicious looking pancakes?" Celes asked looking at the food.

Yamada obeyed, "Right away!" Yamada scurried to get the plate of food for Celes. I rolled my eyes to that thinking that Celes was a drama queen. As Leon and Asahina had their donut chow-down event, I got myself a couple of pancakes, 2 Boston cream donuts, and an éclair. I walked to the end of the room finding a table where I could sit and eat.

As I sat down, Jade came over with her food. "Mind if I sit with you?"

"No, go right ahead." I answered pointing to the seat.

As she sat down, we both removed our swords, placing them in front of us. "How was your room, Ace? Was it weird sleeping in?"

"Well...it was, but it wasn't the first time I hadn't slept in my own bed before...why do you ask?" I asked.

"Well...I felt out of place...I mean we are trapped here unless...we..." Jade couldn't finish her sentence. She started to shiver in fear, gripping her hands tightly. I also saw that she was tearing up.

I began to silently panic. What was I suppose to do?! I wasn't trained for these situations! What if I did something that would make this even worse?! Then I caught Naegi looking our way. At first, I couldn't see what he was doing, but I then saw he was mouthing words to me. "What are you doing?!" Naegi mouthed.

"I don't know! She's shaking in fear because of Monokuma's words! What do I do?!" I mouthed back. Naegi then motion for me to wrap my arm around her. I instantly blushed and mouthed "Are you crazy?!", but

Naegi continued to motion it and then mouthed 'Do it for her! She needs comfort! Trust me, it'll work!'

Looks like I'm going to have to count on luck, good thing I had the SDHS Luckster on my side. I slowly wrapped my arm around her hoping it would comfort her. At first, she jumped surprised I did so, but she then started to stop shaking and calming down into a steady breathing.

_Close call..._ I thought. Looking back at Naegi, he gave me two thumbs up. I looked back at everyone else and it appeared that no one had noticed Jade, Naegi, or me. And from the looks of it, they were all interested in Leon' and Asahina's doughnut chow-down. I looked down at Jade who still looked as if she was scared.

She then looked up at me with_ fear _and _despair_ in her eyes. "Ace...Are we going to die? Or worse, live here for-"

"Hey, that isn't going to happen. We'll find a way out and give Monokuma a taste of what _hope_ and blades can really do. Alright?" I reassured her.

"How can you be so sure? How do you know that that'll never happen?" Jade asked doubtful.

I hesitated before answering. I knew that if anyone had planned to kill someone else there was only so much I could do because I can't read minds. But, I thought of an answer to Jade's question. "Because I'm here. As long as I am breathing, I won't rest until I find a way out of here without murdering someone. It will happen one way or the other. I swear it on my name that I will use my blades and anything to make sure that we all make it out of here, alive!"

Jade was surprised at my answer looking as if she was seeing a different person. She then rested her head on my shoulder finally relaxing. Sighing with relief, I leaned back against my chair. "Ace...where do you get your strength from?"

I looked down at her, slightly confused. _My strength? _"What do you mean?"

She then looked up into my eyes. Her eyes were...lightly emerald green sparkling in the light. "I mean...how are you able to...stay calm in a situation like this?"

I sat up pushing my breakfast away. Why I was strong...why was I strong? At the moment, I didn't really have an answer and I couldn't think of any sufficient answer. I thought about it for about 4 minutes thinking about where I drew my strength from. Then I was able to come up with a sufficient answer. "Well...I look at this situation as if I were fighting a new enemy...I am scared, it's human nature to be scared...but I don't let my fear show or control me. My swords also play a role in my strength. See my swords have been with me since day one and we've been through a lot together. They lend me the strength so that I can be strong...With that, I feel that I can overcome any foe and Monokuma is just one of those foes...There is also another thing that I draw my strength from..." I felt rather weird talking to Jade like this...and what I did next was something I had never done before. I took out my memento...the one my mother gave me. I raised it high into the air, so that she and I could see it glow its ruby-like glow.

Jade was in a state of awe mesmerized by my pendant. "W...what is it?"

"A memento from my mother...she gave it me on my 13th birthday. It's ruby encrusted in volcanic glass. Its shape is also unique because it's in the shape of a dragon's head." I described my pendant.

Jade then asked if she could take a closer look at it. I agreed and she examined the pendant. After a while, she gave it back to me. "I see...you draw strength from things that are precious to you?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say that..." I answered looking her.

"So...So would I be considered one of those precious things?" she asked blushing with every word.

This question caught me off guard making me blush in embarrassment. I was so surprised by the question that I fell backwards off my chair. Landing on my back sucked! The crash made everyone look in our direction. Well everyone other than Leon, he was out on the table. Fujusaki, Asahina, and Maizuno giggled, while Oowada and Yamada where dumbstruck. Togami didn't show any emotion.

Fukawa rolled her eyes, saying, "A-Amateurs..."

Naegi covered his face with his hand.

Kirigiri smiled lightly laughing. "I see your getting to know one another better?"

Asahina confused, "Huh? I thought you guys left already!"

Sakura impressed, "Love does possess many good qualities..."

Naegi shaking his head, "Just our luck..."

Jade embarrassed, "W-wait! It was...I was just..."

"L-love?! Uuuuh..." I was dumbstruck by the word.

Fujusaki teasing, "If you want privacy, you could try the kitchen..."

Jade and I yelled in sync, "No way! It's nothing like that! What?! Stop copying me!"

Oowada laughing, "That's not really helping your case..."

Celes teasing some more, "Are you sure, lovebirds? We don't mind you two as a couple."

Fukawa stuttered, "R-Really, Ace? Do y-you not know anything about r-r-romance?!"

"G-guys?! That wasn't-" I tried to explain.

Asahina said not helping, "It's actually kinda cute."

Jade screeched flustered, "Cute?!"

Yamada asked playfully, "Do I sense a hint of love in the air?"

Jade and I were now both flustered. Everyone seemed to approve, but I didn't...I mean, I did...UGH! Why is the life of a teenager so full of confusion?!

Togami stated killing the mood, "Love or not, you shouldn't waste your time making relations. If you hadn't already noticed, we are supposed to kill each other, remember?"

This made everyone stare at Togami. Why would he remind everyone of that? I'm sure everyone knew about it, but the way he said it...it made the entire mood of the room change from _hope_ to _despair_...

"I know about the unearthly truth, Togami, but making relations may actually help your chances in surviving, you might wanna try it sometime." I said firmly.

Togami smirked, "That's refreshing...being told to make friends with fools… Tell me this, Ace. If you support love and friendship so much, then what will you do if Jade, for example, were to one day stab you in the back with her rapier?!"

Asahina shouted at him, "That would NEVER happen! Jade isn't a killer!"

Togami countered, "Oh, can you be so sure?! In your mind, you may think that, but can you really be sure Jade wouldn't kill to escape?"

I looked back at Jade's fists balled on anger. Next moment, I saw her draw her blade and dashed at Togami. I drew both blades jumping in front of Jade parrying her strike. Everyone was stuck in awe...well, Other than Kirigiri and Sakura.

"Jade?! What are doing? Are you mad?!" I asked.

Jade roared, "Get out of my way Ace!"

"Jade, snap out of it! It's not worth killing Togami! No matter how mad you may be!" I said trying to reason with her.

Jade still tried to get after Togami, but I didn't let her. Then, Kirigiri stepped in. "Obviously, we need to put this to a close now. Togami, get out now!"

Togami replied walking behind me, "I was actually on my way now...By the way, Ace, you tell me what love and friends will bring you. I'm dying to know..." Togami then walked out, Fukawa following closely by.

Sighing, Kirigiri told everyone else to give Jade and I some space and told them to help her in the kitchen.

Nearly everyone went to the Kitchen; all but Fujusaki. She actually walked up to us… "Jade, are you okay?"

"No, I'm not! Togami is nothing more than a heartless monster! I just...lost it..." Jade answered frustrated.

"Jade, try to calm down. I know Togami's a jerk, but killing him wouldn't have solved anything. In fact it would have proved his point..." I stated.

Fujusaki defending my point, "It wasn't your fault Jade. All you have to do is prove that big meanie wrong."

I was surprised with Fujusaki. She wasn't her shy, scared self. She seemed more determined having found some type of drive...

Jade looked at me and said, "I'm sorry Ace...I didn't mean for all of this to happen..."

"Don't sweat it Jade. I'm sure everyone knows you were provoked with that, right, Fujusaki?" I said to reassure her. Fujusaki nodded. Helping Jade to her feet I grabbed our swords and walked her back to her room.

When we got there, Jade hugged me tightly. Slightly blushing, I hugged back. "Ace...I'm not as strong as you are...please, let me lean on you a little longer..." She then went into her room locking it.

Sighing, I turned over to Fujusaki. "Thanks for the support back there..."

"Oh, it was no problem, honestly. I'm glad that no one got hurt." she said shyly.

"Yeah...anyway, what's your plan now?" I asked.

"Well...now that you mention it...I believe I haven't anything to do..." Fujusaki said thoughtfully. Fujusaki then looked down almost depressed. She seemed sad that she had no plans.

I wasn't having much luck with girls... "W-well...maybe, if you wanna hang out later today, could you meet me in the Cafeteria?"

Fujusaki then looked up surprised. Then she started frantically shaking her head and hands. "Oh, nonono, I couldn't take up your time like that! I wouldn't want to be a burden!"

"What? No, Fujusaki, you've got it all wrong! I assure you that you wouldn't be a burden, I promise." I said surprised by her reaction.

Fujusaki then stopped jumping around and then made a face as if she was thinking. She then nodded. "Ok...Do you think you'll be free around 4: 30?"

"Y-yeah...I'll be free. So, wanna meet up at the Cafeteria?" I asked again.

"Sure! See you then!"Fujusaki then parted ways with me, both heading to our respective rooms.

Location: Ace's Room Time: 9: 05 am

Upon entering my room, I detached my blades and placed then next to my bed. I also took off my boots and stretched out my body. It was still early, so I wanted to get as much rest as I could. That way I could face the afternoon I had ahead of me. I then jumped onto my bed grabbing the notepad that I had that was next to my bed.

_Might as well keep a day-to-day account on what's happening here..._ I thought. Grabbing the pen that was next to it, I began to vigorously write the events that transpired in the Cafeteria. I wrote how Togami acted, how Asahina won the doughnut chow-down, and what happened in the back of the room...how Jade and I were. After a while, I found that I had sketched out Jade, looking out of a window, clutching her rapier.

I saw it was a pretty good drawing, so I took the tape that was on my dresser and posted it onto my wall. It looked as if it was meant to be there. _Maybe I'll do sketches of everyone here..._ I thought. Looking back at the time, I saw it was 9: 55. _Should probably get going, I have a lot of people to meet with today..._

Putting my boots and swords back on, I headed out the door heading to my first destination, Kirigiri's room. I wanted to know what Kirigiri wanted to talk to me about...

_**Flashback, In the Gym**_

_**"K-Kirigiri?! What are you doing? You scared the heck out of me..." I said catching my breath.**_

_**Kirigiri stated, "I wanted to talk to you..."**_

_**Back to the Present**_

Leaving my room, I dashed over to Kirigiri's room. Ready to knock...

To be Continued...


	6. Act 1: 1E, Freetime (Part 2)

Location: Dormitory's Time: 10:05 am

After leaving my room, I made my way towards Kirigiri's room. When I got to the door, I hesitated before knocking. _What if she isn't here?_ I thought to myself. _Then again, how will I know just standing here?_ Gathering myself, I put my hand over Kirigiri's door. Just as I was about to knock...

"Ace? Why are you at my door?" Kirigiri asked.

Nearly getting a heart attack, I jumped in shock and fear; falling backwards. Kirigiri helped me to my feet. "Kirigiri would you make a sound when you walk behind people, please!?" I exclaimed.

"I'll make an effort next time...anyway, why were you at my dorm room door?" Kirigiri questioned.

"Oh right, I had a bit of free time on my hands, so I thought I would get back to you with what you wanted to tell me in the Gym...unless this is a bad time?" I asked while catching my breath.

Kirigiri placed her right index finger's knuckle near her chin, as if thinking. She then glanced around in all directions like she was checking to see if there was anyone around. She then grabbed my arm firmly and brought me forward.

"K-Kirigi-" I stammered, but she covered my mouth.

She then leaned over to my ear. She whispered, "It's not safe to talk here, meet me in the baths in 5 minutes..." Kirigiri then let go of my arm walking in the direction of the bath house.

_What is she up to?_ I thought to myself. Still confused, I made my way to the bath house making sure I wasn't being followed. When I went inside, I saw Kirigiri was sitting down on one of the benches. She had her eyes closed lost in deep thought. "Kirigiri, I'm here..." I said trying to make my presence known.

Kirigiri opened her eyes, greeting me with a nod. She then went to the door locking it. The situation must have started to get intense, because my heart started beating faster and faster. I was getting extremely antsy about what was going on. Then Kirigiri sighed, "You can relax Ace, I just wanted to make sure no one could overhear us..."

"Why did you want to talk in the bath houses then?" I asked.

Kirigiri replied with another question, "Look around, what's the one thing that's not around here that's everywhere else?"

Scanning the area, I did find that there was something odd. Upon looking around the whole room, there wasn't a single security camera that Monokuma had placed all over the place. "There...isn't a single camera...is that it?" I slowly asked.

Kirigiri smiled, nodding her head. Sitting down again Kirigiri exhaled, "Ok...what I'm about to tell you is something I only told Jade. I'm telling you because...well, Jade trusts you. So I don't want anyone else knowing about it, not even Naegi, understand?"

I nodded. _Whatever Kirigiri is about to say, it was definitely important._ But I wonder...what could be so bad that not even Naegi can know about it?

Kirigiri cleared her throat, "Ahem...ok...it would appear that I have a case of Amnesia..."

"A-Amnesia? What makes you think that?" I asked in disbelief.

Kirigiri turned her head facing the door, "...because I don't remember what my SDHS talent is...or anything before waking up in one of the classrooms here..."

_What?! She...doesn't remember...her SDHS talent?_ Trying to process this, I sat next to Kirigiri on the bench. I glanced at her and she seemed to have become more stressed; her jaw was clenched. "When...did you realize you had forgotten your SDHS talent?" I asked trying to get to the bottom of the mystery.

Kirigiri tightened her fits shaking in anger, "When I found Jade walking the halls. She had asked me about it and I just drew a blank...I couldn't remember a thing..." She then looked at me suddenly masking her anger, "Ace...can you think of any reason why this happened?"

"Not...that I can think of. This is a really weird situation...I mean, to forget your SDHS talent is pretty mysterious..." That was all I could say. I was still trying to decipher the mystery till Kirigiri stood up. "What's wrong?" I asked.

Kirigiri replied, "Nothing. Let's just put this aside for now. We can continue to discuss this matter another time," She started to walk to the door. "Just remember don't tell anyone, not yet..."

"Y-yeah, no problem. What are you going to do now?" I asked getting up myself.

Kirigiri answered, "I'm going to investigate the school building to see what exactly is in there. What about you?"

I looked up to the clock that was hanging on the wall. It was 10: 55. Guess I don't have anything to do. "Well, I guess I'll on into the lunch room. I'll see if there's anything to snack on there and then...I guess I'll head back into my room." I answered.

Kirigiri pushes the hair away from her face, "When you can come join me in the Gym, I want to have a closer look at those iron plates on the windows. Also, everyone's planning on meeting in the Cafeteria for lunch, are you coming?"

I thought about it for a second_. I wouldn't mind going, but if it means Togami will be there...I had better make sure its ok to have Jade and Togami in the same room. Better check in on Jade before 12: 00_. "Yeah, I'll be there. I just got to check up on a few things before I go. See ya, Kirigiri..."

Kirigiri and I parted ways, going in opposite directions. I still had that conversation running through my head..._How could Kirigiri have amnesia? Was it when we all blacked out coming here?_ Still trying to straighten the problem at hand I subconsciously made my way back to my room. My thoughts were interrupted by someone tapping me on the shoulder. Turning to see who it was, I saw it was Celes.

Celes greeted, "Hi lovebird, why did it seem that you were deep in thought?"

"Hey Celes, I was trying to clear up a few things in my head..." I answered.

Celes gave me a look of curiosity, "What were you thinking about?"

"Just stuff about Monokuma and ways to get out of here," I replied rather quickly.

Celes nodded, "Ok...anyway, have you seen Jade? I haven't been able to find her and she isn't in her room..."

"Wait...what do you mean, you can't find her?!" I asked now alert.

"I mean we can't find her. We have everyone looking for her, but the problem isn't that she's alone; just missing..." She gave me a stern look, "Togami can't be found either."

I felt adrenaline run through every part of my body. Jade and Byakuya...both missing and can't be found. _This is bad._ _Jade, please don't do what I think is going on!_ I silently prayed. I turned to run, but I stopped short to turn back to Celes. "Stay in this are, if any of them show up. Call for me as soon as it happens!" I yelled.

Celes gave me a nod and ran down the hall.

I darted towards the school, turning on my Electro ID. Checking over the map, Jade's ID was somewhere near the Gym. I sprinted down the hall, passing every one and nearly tackling Asahina. When I finally made it to the Gym, I scanned the scene. Jade was on the ground with her rapier drawn, but she was out cold on the ground.

I scrambled over to Jades side, jumping to her side. "JADE! Come on, wake up!" praying she was alright. I shook her trying to get a reaction from her.

Then, her eyes started to open. She weakly spoke, "a...A...Ace...?"

"Thank God, what happened?" I asked, helping her up.

She turned toward the front, "Monokuma..."

I turned to see what she was staring at and in the front of the room I saw Monokuma with the gold leaf practice sword drawn.

Monokuma chimed, "Ace and Jade, sitting in a tree, G!"

"Monokuma!? What did you do!?" I stood up drawing my swords.

Monokuma proclaimed, "Defending myself, of course! Jade attacked me when I was minding my beary business! So, I taught her a lesson!"

I turned to Jade expecting to see her make some sort of protest to Monokuma's claim. However, Jade sadly looked at the ground not making a sound.

Jade whispered, "I...I'm...sorry...Ace..."

Monokuma laughed, "Upupupu...see? She broke the rules, so it's PUNISHMENT TIME!"

Monokuma raised the practice sword ready to pounce. I jumped in front of Jade raising my blades against Monokuma. "Don't even think about it! You want her? You'll have to get through me!" I declared.

Monokuma laughed, "Upupu...you say I have to get through you? Then so be-"

Just then a voice called out from the trophy room "No, it's not punishment time!"

I turned to the doors and I saw everyone come rushing into the Gym. Kirigiri, Sakura, Leon, Naegi, Fukawa, Yamada, Fujusaki, Asahina, Maizuno, Leon...and even Togami. _Where has he been this entire time?!_

Asahina exclaimed, "You're alright! Thank goodness!"

Sakura, Asahina, and Fujusaki went to Jades' aid, while Togami, Kirigiri, and Naegi rushed to my side. "G-guys?! How d-" I stuttered, but Togami cut me off.

He shot, "That doesn't matter at the moment, right now. We need to deal with Monokuma."

_He's right._ I thought quickly. Turning back to Monokuma, I saw that he looked extremely mad.

He roared, "Hey! Stay out of our business! She broke a rule, so she has to get punished!"

Kirigiri countered, "No she didn't. It was you who attacked her!"

Naegi and I looked at Kirigiri with confused faces.

Monokuma started jumping up and down like a toddler. Monokuma exclaimed, "ME!? Attack a student?! I suppose you have some EVIDENCE to be making such an accusation?! HMM?!"

Kirigiri smiled, "As a matter of fact, I do."

Kirigiri walked up to Monokuma carefully taking the blade that he was holding. Monokuma stood back arms crossed, trying to see what she was doing. I also walked closer and Naegi followed close behind.

Kirigiri then let go of the sword gold paint covering her gloves. Kirigiri smiled, "Just as I thought, this sword was covered in gold leaf, no?"

Monokuma confirmed, "Yep, I managed to grab it before Jade was able to strike me down! She attacked me in the trophy room. Luckily, I was able to draw the practice sword. She lashed out at me, but little did she know that I know how to use a sword! So I blocked it and chased her into the gym, where she lashed at me again. I dodged it by tripping her. She fell off the stage that knocked her out when you found her now! That's what happened!"

Kirigiri turned to Monokuma, "You're lying."

Everyone looked at Kirigiri as if she was crazy. He's lying? How can she be so sure?

Monokuma was outraged, "What?! How am I lying!?"

Asahina exclaimed, "Lying?!"

Togami rolled his eyes, "Please explain already, Kirigiri, everyone's more lost than a child in a store alone..."

Kirigiri turned to me, "Get me Jade's rapier."

"Why do you need her sword?" I asked running to get it.

Kirigiri put the practice sword down in front of everyone, "You'll see..." Giving her the blade, she examined blade itself. After she was done, she pointed to streaks of gold running up and down the blade. Kirigiri explained, "Look at the marks on her rapier. These came from parrying blows from the practice sword. If you look at the practice sword," she picked up the practice sword, "the gold leaf from the blade part of the sword is all gone. This suggests that what Monokuma said is false. One block, which is what Monokuma said he did would have left one slash mark on the sword. However with the streaks on Jade's rapier and the practice sword's blade being bare of any gold leaf, it's safe to say that Monokuma's story of 'defending' himself is false. Do you have any objections, Monokuma?"

Monokuma just stood there almost as if crickets were going off. Monokuma's red eye, however, was pulsing and giving off a nasty looking red glow.

Togami then walked forward, passing me and Naegi. "What happened, Monokuma? Already out of things to say?" he gloated.

Monokuma then started pacing and then shouted in anger, "Ok, FINE! I wasn't expecting there to be a 'detective' among you guys...nor was I expecting you guys to solve the mystery so fast. Anyway, everyone gather around I have an announcement to make! Gather round!"

Anger pulsing through my veins, I first went to Jade to check on her. She had a cut on her face, arm, and leg that were patched up. Also, she was clearly exhausted. With Fujusaki's help, we picked her up putting her on my back. She weakly spoke, "Ace...I should have told you...but Monokuma...he..."

"Don't worry Jade, we found out what happened. Monokuma just called us together to hear his announcements... Also, I'm sorry...for not being there to protect you..." I said shakily. I then felt myself tearing up. Not wanting to let Jade see it, I quickly whipped my face.

Jade closed her eyes leaning her head onto my shoulder, "It's okay, Ace... I know...you didn't mean to..." Jade soon fell fast asleep on my shoulder.

I then turned to Sakura, Asahina, and Fujusaki, "Thanks for patching her up. Will she be okay?"

"She'll be fine. The cuts aren't deep, but she was really shaken up by this. Right now, she needs rest," Sakura explained.

Asahina's face turned red with rage, "I hate Monokuma! What he did is unbelievable!"

Fujusaki whimpered, "C-can he do it to us as well?"

I didn't trust myself to answer Fujusaki's question. After all...I promised I would protect Jade, but I failed in doing that... I turned trying to hide my _despair_ from them. Thankfully, Asahina answered the question for me.

"Don't worry about a thing, Fujusaki... I'm sure he won't try it again... right, Sakura?" she asked.

Sakura replied encouragingly, "Of course. If he tries again, I'll rip him apart..."

"Yeah... me too..." was all I could manage to say.

Kirigiri walked up to us along with Togami, Naegi, and all the others.

Kirigiri asked, "Is she alright?"

"Yeah, she's fine... Sakura, Asahina, and Fujusaki patched her up..." I answered.

Togami smiled, "So, Ace, tell me how friendships working out for you so far. Not as happy-go-lucky as you thought it was now, was it?"

Before I could reply, Leon stepped in Togami's face, "Watch it, Togami! I don't give a-"

Asahina and Sakura broke them up. Sakura pulled Leon back, while Asahina pushed Togami away. Leon was using every insult under the sun at Togami, but Togami just stood there with a small smile on his face and eyes closed. Yamada, Maizuno, Naegi, and Fujusaki all stayed back not trying to get involved. They looked as if they were about to break down from the situation at hand.

Sakura said calmly, "Leon, calm down. He is not worth it."

Asahina yelled, "You are unbearable, Togami!"

Togami gave a short laugh, "Heh, you fools are so naive..."

Celes butted in, "Ahem...pardon my interruption, but aren't we supposed to be listening to what Monokuma wanted to tell us?"

"Celes is right. Can we stop the fighting already?" I said trying to keep my voice steady. From what Monokuma did to Togami acting like a brick, I just wanted to get this over with so that we can eat. Then take Jade to the nurses' office or somewhere she can rest.

Monokuma suddenly spoke out, eerily saying, "Upupu... this is great... the _despair_, the _fighting_...this is just perfect!"

Asahina proclaimed, "Enough already! Say what you wanted to say already!"

Monokuma jumped in fear, "Y-yes mam... Scary... Any who, the event that just transpired was a test and you all passed! Well actually, Kirigiri was the one who passed, but I'm not going to get into specifics here."

Leon confused, "What?! It was a test?!"

"You put Jade in danger... nearly killed her... to test us?!" I yelled.

Monokuma smiled posing like a girl would look at her finger nails, "Yup, so it does look that way, doesn't it? Did I hurt your feelings?"

I completely lost it. I handed Jade over to Sakura.

Sakura confused, "What are you-"

"I'm going to tear _**each **_and_** every**_ Monokuma that appears apart!" I answered firmly. Drawing my blades I made a lunge for Monokuma, but Kirigiri stepped between me and Monokuma.

Kirigiri reasoned, "Stop. You saw what happened last time you attacked him. What do you think will happen if you go in doing it again? Don't forget, he still runs the show around here, not you."

_She's right..._Taking a deep breath, I stepped back trying to calm down.

Monokuma cleared his throat, "Ahem...anyway, I didn't gather you all up just to tell you guys you passed the little test. Upupupu... you see... I totally forgot something when I told you guys you had to kill each other." Monokuma jumped in front of us all and started pacing back and forth, "See, I gave you guys the perfect setting and situation...but there's something so important that I feel like a dummy forgetting about it!"

We all listened intently to figure out what Monokuma was talking about.

He then stopped, grinning an evil smile. Turning to us Monokuma roared out, "But I forgot the one important thing when making murders! The Motive!"

Chills ran up my spine. _Motives?_ I turned to everyone around me looking for expressions. Everyone besides Togami had _fear_ and _concern_ on their faces.

Fujusaki squealed, "M-motives?!"

Yamada screamed, "REASONS TO KILL!?"

Fukawa freaks out rambling, "I can't take much more of this!"

Asahina panicked, "What kind of motives?!"

Monokuma laughed, "Upupupu... Now if I told you, it would ruin the surprise... On the other hand if you wanna see it, then may I suggest the AV room? It's got the incentives for everyone! Enjoy!" Monokuma disappeared leaving everyone in a state of _fear_.

_In the AV room?_ I thought quickly. No one moved to the door, though. They all stayed where they were trying to get a grasp on what just happened.

Oowada suddenly spoke, "Hey Naegi, did Monokuma say what was in the AV room?"

Naegi replies, "Yeah, I think s-"

Oowada interrupts, "Great! Go check it out for us, buddy! I know you can do it!"

_Really? Really Oowada? _I thought to myself.

Naegi surprised, "What?! Why me?!"

Oowada smiles, "Because I'm counting on you!"

Maizuno cuts in, "It's okay Naegi. I'll join you!"

Naegi blushes a little, but smiles at the same time.

_Hehe..._ I sheath my swords and walk over to Naegi. "I'll come along as well. Might be good having a swordsman with you, Naegi." I leaned close to Naegi's ear, whispering, "Also, I got to keep my eye on you and Maizuno. Can't let you guys go having fun alone now, can I?" Naegi's face turned red from embarrassment. Laughing, I patted Naegi on the back. "It's okay, I'm only kidding! Come on, let's go." I joke.

Naegi glares, but is still flustered about the situation. Maizuno follows Naegi with a smile beaming off her face.

I turned back to Kirigiri, "Think you can handle the situation till we get back?" I asked.

Kirigiri nodded gathering everyone up again near the stage.

I then met Maizuno and Naegi in the Trophy room.

To Be Continued...


	7. Act 1: 1F, Motives

In, Hey everyone, it is now time for the motives! Who do you think is going to be the first victim? Try to guess and see if your guess is right. Who knows what could happen in a school full of _despair..._Upupupu...

Location: Trophy Room Time: 12: 50 pm

Gathering in the trophy room, Maizuno, Naegi and I stood there in awkward silence. Looking at their faces, they were just as nervous as I was. I mean who wouldn't be, when a toy bear tells you to go into a room where you will receive motives to murder?

Maizuno broke the silence, "We... should probably get going..."

Naegi agreed, "Yeah, we're only procrastinating... Besides, we can't find anything out by staying here, can we?"

"Your right... Let's get going," I replied.

We started to make our way down the halls. We were so on edge that we were jumping to the slightest sounds. Then we arrived at the AV room and the lights were on shinning through the glass of the door.

Naegi suddenly spoke, "Man... This room gives me the chills..."

"Yeah... it does," I agreed.

Maizuno spoke, "Hey, come on guys. The others are still waiting for us to get back to the Gym..."

We nodded and walked into the AV room. It was a pretty neat room; it had a giant projector on the other side of the room. There were also rows of mini projectors and desks; about 15 of them. On one of them, there was a small cardboard box; next to it was a pile of headphones. I ran up to the box ripping it open. Inside, I saw 13 different CD's inside. They all had our names on it. My eyes locked on one that had my name on it. Picking it up, I looked on the back and it said "Play Me".

Neagi asked walking over, "What's in the box?"

"CD's... with our names on it." I answered.

Maizuno surprised, "E-everyone's names?!"

Naegi calmly said while looking into the box, "Yeah... it appears so..."

"Guess we should see what's on ours..." I suggested. They all nodded and we went to separate mini-projectors. I turned it on, popped in the CD, and plugged in my headphones. The screen flickered to life showing an image of a woman and a girl around my age, if not younger. The woman had a leather jacket, similar to mine, while the girl had a sweater and skirt on. At first, I didn't recognize them at all, but then I felt tears run down my cheeks. It was my Mom and sister smiling at the screen.

Mother greeted, "Hello Ace! I wanted to say congratulations on getting into Hope's Peak! I am so proud of you!"

My sister, Kora, had started laughing, "It's so nice you got into the best school in the world! I can't wait for you to come home to tell me all about it!"

I couldn't believe that I was seeing them. After all the madness that started happening during my arrival at Hope's Peak, I was glad to see my family again. However, my joy soon turned into confusion and _despair_. The screen flickered again, showing Kora and Mother again. However, they were in distress. Kora had a katana in hand, arm bleeding, and while mother was all cut up and was hovering in front of Kora. The dojo they were in was completely destroyed and blood was splattered all over the rice-paper windows.

Mother commanded, "Kora! You need to get out of here! NOW!"

Kora cried back, "No way! I'm not leaving you here!"

Mother snapped back, "Kora! You need to find your brother, get to the school, and DON'T COME BACK HERE!"

After that, the screen flickered once more, showing Monokuma's face.

Monokuma laughed, "Upupup... Oh what oh what could have happened to Ace Hogana's family? Did they get attacked? Was someone harming them? Who will ever find out what happened? If you wanna know, find out after GRADUATION!"

With that, the screen went blank. _What the hell did I just see?! _I asked myself over and over again not being able to process what the video just showed me. I screamed and slashed the monitor in half. I then heard a scream from behind me.

I turned and saw Maizuno looking severely stressed with _fear_ written all over her face. She stuttered, " H-how!? How did he even-!?"

Naegi was disturbed as well and threw his headphones, "What the?!"

Maizuno ran out of the AV room with tears streaming down her cheeks.

Naegi called after her, "Maizuno! Wait!"

He charged after her, begging her to stop. As he left, everyone else started flooding into the AV room looking at the box.

Asahina asked, "What just happened in here? Why did Naegi and Maizuno storm out?!"

Kirigiri examined the area, the remains of the AV monitor I slashed, and the CD box. Kirigiri then asked, "Was it the CD's that caused all this chaos?"

I was shaking as I nodded my head. Everyone went into the box to grab their CD's and playing them on the monitors. Their faces, like ours, went from _joy_ to _despair_.

Asahina screamed, "No way! There's just no way!"

Sakura growled, "How... how did they get defeated so easily?!"

Jade fell to the ground, "No... My family... I can't take anymore of this!"

I ran towards Jade trying to comfort him. "Jade... it's alright, calm down. Please calm down." I repeated, trying to calm her down. As I said that, I was also trying to calm myself down. After a few minutes, everyone was in uproar.

Then Togami stepped in front of the group shaking his head. He sighed, "Oh please, you guys are all so gullible. Do you really think that was real?"

Asahina shocked, "What do you mean 'if it's real'?!"

Togami shook his head, "God help you all... Do you all really think that those videos were real? Monokuma said they were just motives to start the killings, can we be 100% sure that Monokuma didn't make these just to make us kill?"

"No, but what if they are real?! You can't be sure that they aren't real!" I countered.

Togami simply chuckled. "You are right, but I guess we can agree to disagree at this point. But my question to everyone now is this," he turned to everyone else, "What will you now do with this new found information? Will you kill to find out the truth or will you go about your business?"

Kirigiri cut in, "You have a habit of killing any and all hope..."

Togaimi started to reply, "I'm just telling you all the truth, that's all..." With that Togami left with Fukawa following close behind.

Looking down at Jade, I saw she had calmed down, but still looked scared. "Are you alright?" I asked her.

Jade replied, "S-shouldn't I be asking you that? You look like you saw a ghost."

I looked at the monitor screen and saw my reflection. I had sweat running down my face and I looked extremely pale. Shaking my head, I brought Jade to her feet. "Don't worry about me... I'll be fine..." I then turned to Kirigiri, who also looked shaken up by the video, "You okay?"

Kirigiri nodded, "As disturbing as that was, I think I'll be okay..."

I turned to everyone else in the room, "You guys alright, too?"

Fujusaki stuttered, "I-I think so..."

Asahina slowly said, "I'm going to lose my mind..."

Sakura comforted, "It's okay Asahina, everything is going to be okay."

Celes yawned, "I don't exactly think it is real... but what I do think is that something is going-"

"Don't even _think_ about finishing that sentence!" someone shouted. We all jumped looking in the direction of the voice. It was Naegi; he had come back with Maizuno. He had an arm wrapped around her trying to keep her calm.

Celes exclaimed, "Oh, hi Naegi. Maizuno. Care to join us?"

Leon questioned, "Where were you two?"

Naegi answered, "It's not important at the moment. Listen, I know we are all sort of freaking out over the videos that we just saw, but we can't let the video scare us into doing something rash, got it?"

Kirigiri nodded, "Agreed. I say we investigate the 1st floor of the school; see if there is any way out. Then we can meet in the cafeteria to see what we uncovered. Anyone have objections?"

Everyone nodded their heads no. With that everyone left the AV room, leaving Jade and I alone in the room again.

Jade whispered, "Are you sure your alright?"

"I... no... No, I'm far from alright. I want to believe what Togami said, that these videos are nothing more than video's made to spook us into murdering... but it's nearly impossible..." I explained.

Jade responded, "I know. I feel the same way, but we should get investigating the 1st floor of the school. Maybe we can find the answers to our questions..."

Nodding my head, we made our way out the AV room and headed down to the Gym area. _If there is anything out of the ordinary, then it should be in near the gym area or something... _I thought.

As we were going to the Gym, we passed a gigantic door. Erie shadows were caste over us as we past. The door itself had red leather covering the metal door.

"Naegi... got any idea what that can be?" I asked.

Naegi shook his head, "No... but it looks pretty important."

Jade shivered, "Maybe... but I don't wanna stick around that long to find out. Let's hurry up..."

Jade hurriedly moved past the red door, passing Maizuno, Naegi and I. Looking back at the ominous door once more, I felt what made Jade go on the frits. It seemed... _evil_. Like something bad will happen if we enter.

Maizuno spoke, "Hey, you okay guys?"

Naegi and I jumped from shock of Maizuno's voice. Naegi and I seemed to have been entranced by the door.

Naegi apologized, "Sorry Maizuno..."

"Yeah... let's catch up to Jade and get to the Gym." I added on.

Maizuno nodded and we all dashed to the Gym, catching up to Jade in the Trophy Room. Jade smiled, "Okay, how should we do this?"

Maizuno suggested, "How about you go with Ace, Jade?"

I automatically blushed with my eyes opening wide in surprise. Jade smiled while making a face as if she was enjoying this. _They planned this?!_ I thought in shock.

Jade replied, "Yeah, that's a pretty good idea... maybe you should go to Naegi then. I'm sure he would _love_ that." Naegi then jumped in surprise and nearly fell over.

The girls then started breaking out laughing. In sync they said, "Hahaha! You both look like tomatoes!"

Naegi glared still flustered, "N-not cool! Come on guys, can we please try to stay focused on the task in hand?"

"Yeah, come on... I mean, can't we just investigate girls with girls and boys with boys?" I suggested flustered.

The girls both frowned not amused. Maizuno whined, "But whhhhhhy?!"

Jade chimed clinging to my arm, "No! I wanna go with Ace!" Maizuno did the same thing to Naegi.

Naegi and I locked eyes and I could tell we were thinking the same thing. _Why me? Why now?!_ All of a sudden, a blood curling scream came from the Gym. The girls stopped playing around looking at the gym's doors.

"What was that?!" I asked out loud.

Naegi answered, "Only one way to find out!"

We all dove into the Gym, bracing ourselves for the worst. I had my blades drawn and so did Jade. At the same time, Naegi had gotten the gold-leaf practice sword and Maizuno had one of the trophies. We all lowered our weapons after scanning the area though. We all looked up, hearing more screaming coming from the roof of the Gym. We were all dumbstruck. It was a girl hanging from one of the iron beams.

The girl screamed, "Help me!" Then the girl lost her grip falling downward towards the ground.

I dropped my swords and dashed towards her land spot. _Come on! Go faster! _I prayed. I jumped and caught her in mid-jump. As I landed, we slid a couple more feet. Breathing heavily, I looked down at the girl I just saved. She was a blonde wearing a lose school miniskirt and a lose tie on. She had to ponytails, one tied by a bow, another tied by a bunny clip.

"Who are you?" I suddenly asked. She looked up weakly and whispering something before falling unconsciousness. The others came to my side amazed at my speed and close save.

Naegi asked, "Who is she?"

"Junko...Enoshima..." I answered.

A/N Sorry it took so long, the next chapter probably won't come out in a while. Hope you enjoyed! _~Ace Hogana_


	8. Act 1: 1G, Suspense

Location: Gym Time: 1:20 pm

Looking down at Junko, confusion ran through my mind. _How did she get up there? Why wasn't she with us if she was locked up with us?!_ I questioned myself.

Naegi broke my thoughts, "Ace, let's get her to the cafe. We'll be able to get our answers there."

"Alright..." I replied. I sheathed my blades and picked up Junko bridal style to carry her out of the Gym. As I was carrying her, I was deep in thought still trying to get some of the answers to this mystery. I must have been really deep in thought because before I knew it we had arrived in the cafeteria.

Everyone was having small talk until we stepped in. When we did all attention went towards me. I merely ignored the sudden interest, placed Junko in a seat, and stretched out my arms.

Togami shot, "You're late."

"Sorry, I'll make sure to come extra early just for you." I exclaimed sarcastically.

"Enough with the arguing," a voice said. We all turned to the direction of the voice, seeing Kirigiri walking into the cafe.

Asahina sighed, "Great. At least everyone's here..."

Leon yawned, "Alright, let's get this over with. What did we find?"

Fujusaki stuttered, "Asahina, Sakura, a-and I all went to the classrooms..."

"We did, but nothing really popped up..." Asahina continued.

Sakura calmly said, "Also, the iron plates guarding the windows where in each and every classroom."

"...Anything else?" I asked unhappy and unsurprised.

Celes chimed in, "Well Leon, Yamada, and I went around the entrance hall and stair cases, but the entrance has a giant safe-like door on it..."

Leon continued, "Not only that, but 2 mini-guns are stationed there, pointing at anyone who goes near."

"I fear what'll happen if anyone were to try an escape through there... "Yamada whimpered.

"Oowada? What about you?" I asked.

"I found nothing other than the Nurse's Office and School Shop being locked." he replied.

Togami suddenly spoke, "Other than that, there is a rather strange red door near the AV room..."

Fukawa stuttered, "Y-yeah, it's pretty ominous..."

Maizuno spoke, "We saw that too. It looks pretty important."

Kirigiri questioned, "What about you four? Who is the girl you brought back?"

My nerves for some reason became shot; making me a little sweaty. I looked at Jade, Naegi, and Maizuno looking to see if any of them wanted to go first.

Naegi jumped into it, "Well, we found her dangling from one of the iron beams over the Gym."

Togami argued, "Impossible, there is no way anyone would be able to reach that height. There is nothing for her to climb from anyway, so wanna try again?"

Kirigiri stepped in, "Togami, were you there?"

Togami chuckled, "No, but I get your point. Proceed."

"Anyway... she fell from it. Luckily I was able to catch her in the nick of time." I continued.

Leon exclaimed, "Wow, you must be super fast to catch her like that!"

Asahina looked confused, "That's really odd though... how and _why _was she even up there?"

Celes continued the questions, "Yes, isn't it a little odd that a random girl falls from the sky in the middle of the academic coliseum, don't you agree?"

Everyone continued with the questions. Feeling overwhelmed, I started to back up not being able to take anymore of the noise. It all ended with Naegi shouting. He shouted, "ENOUGH ALREADY!" Everyone jumped, looking at Neagi oddly.

Jade also looked pretty angry; jumping in front of me with her face blood red. Jade firmly spoke, "We know as much as you do at this point, so stop bombarding Ace with all of your questions!"

Kirigiri agreed, "We shouldn't be asking Ace these questions. We should be asking her."

I looked at Kirigiri confused, "What do you mean? Isn't-"

She interrupted, "She isn't unconscious and she's been awake for quite some time now," She looked in Junko's direction, "You almost pulled it off, but if you wanna fake being out try to keep your breathing pattern the same."

We heard sucking teeth. Suddenly, Junko sat up wide awake and crossed her legs in front of her. Junko joked, "Awww, I was enjoying my little charade..."

Yamada was dumbfounded, "She was faking the whole time?!"

"How long were you faking?!" I asked bitterly feeling played. She put a finger to her mouth as if thinking, which made me a little more annoyed.

Junko answered, "Weeell... I would say since it was your turn to say what you found..."

Jade lost it, "Are you kidding me? He saved your life and you try to fake being unconscious?! Why I-!"

Asahina jumped at Jade trying to hold her down. Junko jumped to hide behind the seat.

Kirigiri sighed, "At least tell us how you got here..."

Junko replied, "I don't know. All I remember is walking through the door of Hope's Peak and here I am now."

Togami questioned, "How did you get on the beam?"

Junko shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know, I just woke up on the beam. I was scared I would fall, I lost balance, and he saved me." Togami rolled his eyes, obviously not liking the answer. Junko then got up walking to the rest of the group. She asked, "What do we do now?"

"Well... I guess have lunch and call it a day..." I suggested.

Everyone murmured their agreement and we speedily made sandwiches for everyone. After that, we all went to do our own thing.

I went to my room and jumped onto my bed. After a few minutes of tossing and turning, I looked at my wall where I had posted a picture of Jade because I couldn't think, so I needed a distraction from the world. I dug around through my desk and I found an Mp3 with headphones. _Yes!_ I thought triumphantly. However, I saw that there was a little piece of paper on it. I picked it up, reading its contents:

For Ace Hogana, my favorite student!

~Monokuma

At first, I wanted to chuck the Mp3 out of my room. However, I thought about it. _If there is music I don't like on it, it's a goner..._ Shrugging my shoulders, I put on the headphones and played the music full blast. To my surprise, it had all of my favorite music back to back. Listening to the best tunes ever, I grabbed the notepad next to me and quickly jotted down all of the past events. Then, I sketched out Naegi. For some reason, I decided to draw him with a gun. Nodding my head with approval, I posted it next to Jades picture. After that, I jumped onto my bed immediately falling asleep.

About a couple of hours later, I woke up from my well needed nap. Looking at the clock, I saw it was about to 4:30. _Crud! I'm going to be late! _I thought to myself. I quickly got dressed and darted towards the cafe.

When I made it into the cafeteria, I saw that Fujusaki was in a seat alone far off to the side. She seemed to be messing with the Electro IDs Monokuma had given us. She then looked up, noticing that I was there. She grinned, inviting me over. She greeted, "Hi Ace. For a moment there, I thought that you had forgotten..."

"Sorry about that. I had didn't pay attention to the time." I explained.

She laughed, "That's okay." It was great seeing Fujusaki like this not being her shy and stutters self. She was more confident about herself, laughing, and being able to relax a little. Fujusaki then asked, "So... what should we do?"

This caught me by surprise because I didn't really have a plan for what to do with Fujusaki. I continued to think and think, and I finally had an idea. Opening up my Electro ID, I continued to scroll down till I found something new. There were GAMES on them. Under it was a message from Monokuma:

You're Welcome!

I made a face to one of the security cameras, thinking of every different insult I could. After that, I turned to an awaiting Fujusaki. "Wanna play some games?" I asked.

Fujusaki's eyes lit up, "Alright, let's do it!"

We played for about 2 hours. We always had one-upping each other with each new game played. It was awesome! After the 2 hour mark, people started coming in for dinner. We were pretty upset that the games had to be put away, but we had just realized that we were pretty hungry. That night, Fujusaki and I volunteered to make dinner. Asahina couldn't wait though, so she got herself a big box of donuts for herself. Leon went green just looking at it. It reminded him of the chow-down event that he had with Asahina not to long ago.

Thirty minutes later, we finished a masterpiece. Macaroni and Cheese! Everyone dug in, tasting cheesy heaven. As we were eating, I realized that Togami wasn't with us. At first, I shrugged it off, I mean, we could be fine without that buzz kill, right? However, an hour went by and still no sign of Togami. Also, Fukawa wasn't here with us as well, and neither was Maizuno.

Curious about their whereabouts, I went over to Kirigiri; who was currently standing off to the side in deep thought. "Kirigiri, do you know where Togami and the other's are?" I asked.

Kirigiri answered, "No, I don't... Come to think of it, I haven't seen any of them since we saw the motives..."

"Not good..." I whisper, trying not to cause alarm in the group.

Kirigiri then asked "Did you check the IDs? I think you can use that to track them..."

"I'll do it now..." I replied pulling out the Electro ID. I turned on the map and was looking through the first floor trying to find them. Neither of them were in the dorm building, so I started to get a little nervous. _Where could __t__he__y__ be?!_ I thought.

Then I saw Togami. He had just walked in; carrying what appeared to be a book. However, he wasn't alone. Fukawa was falling close behind, but she had a sickening look on her face. "What now?" I ask tiredly.

Togami replied, "It's started. Someone has been murdered in the AV room."


	9. Act 1: 1H, Murder and Investigation

Location: Kitchen Time: 6:00 pm

Everyone stopped at the words Togami spoke. _Someone's dead?! That's impossible! _I couldn't believe it. Everyone first looked at each other, then back at Togami.

Leon yelled, "Hey, what the hell?! Don't play like that!"

Togami shot, "Who said I was playing?"

Asahina argued, "No way! No one would kill anyone here!"

Togami looked in Asahina's direction, "And how can you be so sure about that? In your mind, you think no one would be driven to kill, but that's not how the others see it."

Fukawa stuttered, "It's t-true... I fainted at the sight of the b-blood..."

"Who then?!" I yelled with adrenaline pulsing through my veins.

Togami smirked, "Why not go see for yourself?"

Just as I was about to run out the door, the corner of my eye caught Naegi. He was shaking like a leaf in the wind. "Naegi? What's-" I started, but he darted out the room.

He screamed, "Please don't let it be you!"

"Naegi!" I called, but he didn't stop. I turned to everyone else, "Find the others who are missing. Yamada and Maizuno are missing at the moment, so hurry!" I ordered. Everyone except Togami nodded and we streamed out of the cafeteria. I darted out the dorm area trying to catch up with Naegi.

After getting to the AV room, I heard Naegi whale a blood curling scream. _Please don't be what I think it is... _I thought. I slowly opened the door and I couldn't believe my eyes.

Naegi was hovering over a corpse. That is... the corpse of Maizuno. She had a stab wound through her abdominal area and her neck seemed to be broken. Also, gold paint was all around her legs and arms. Naegi wailed, "Nooo! Why Maizuno!?"

I felt so sorry for Naegi, not being able to bear his wails of _despair_. I went over to him to rub his back. Before I could say anything, the school bells rang. Naegi and I looked over to monitor on the wall.

It flickered a little and then turned into Monokuma holding the same glass of wine. Monokuma announced, "We gotta corpse here! Everyone who is alive make their way to the gym. The Class Trials are underwaaay!" With that, the screen went back to its normal state; showing Hope's Peaks emblem.

I cursed under my breath and turned to look back at Naegi.

His face had turned from _despair_ to _anger_. He whispered, "I'm going to kill you..." He then got up and walked out the AV room; leaving me there with Maizuno.

I leaned over to Maizuno, whispering a little prayer for her. Then I ran out the AV room to go to the Gym. _Monokuma, you won't get away with this, mark my words!_ I swore.

After arriving in the Gym, I saw that everyone was already here. Naegi was off to the side shaking in anger.

"I see you made it..." a voice spoke. I turned to see Kirigiri was walking in as well. "So, you saw the corpse as well?" Kirigiri asked.

"Unfortunately..." I mumbled.

Kirigiri placed her hand on my shoulder and look into my eyes. She said, "Hey, don't beat yourself up about this. It's not your fault."

"Yeah, but-" I started, but she cut me off.

She sternly said, "You couldn't have done anything. It's _not your fault_." I couldn't bring myself to argue anymore, so Kirigiri let go of me.

Then all attention went to the front of the Gym, where Monokuma popped up landing on the stage. Monokuma greeted, "Hello Chumps! Finally, a killing!"

Naegi roared, "You son of a-!" He charged at Monokuma, but I was able to grab his arm. He looked back glaring at me. He growled, "Let me go!"

"Naegi, think for a moment. Remember when I did that, it didn't end to well. Don't throw your life away!" I reasoned.

Naegi exhaled deeply and took a step back. He nodded and I took my hand off his arm.

Monokuma taunted, "Aww, is Naegi angry? Did I hurt your feelings? TO BAD!"

Togami shot, "Why did you call us here, anyway?"

Monokuma cleared his throat, "Oh yeah, that. Anyway, as you all know someone has died. The corpse belongs to Maizuno! Upupupu... I'm so excited!"

Asahina asked, "Wait... quick question. If there is a dead body... wouldn't that mean the murderer can walk out of here?"

Monokuma posed, "Well if it were that easy, then nearly half of you could escape! We don't want that now, do we? Besides, you all are forgetting a very important something..."

"You're... talking about rule #6?" I asked slowly.

Monokuma clapped, "And bingo was his name-mo! Yep, that's it! You guys have to find out which one of you are the 'blackened' or, if you wish to call it, the 'villain'. You find out who that is... Well, you'll see! Upupupu!"

Leon yelled, "How the hell are we supposed to do that?!"

Fujusaki stammered, "Y-yeah, we don't even know what to do..."

Monokuma raised his paws, "Calm down, just look at your Electro ID's I gave you."

I turned on my ID, and a pop up message came up. Clicking it, a black and red folder with Monokuma's face appeared on screen:

**Acquired Truth Blade: Monokuma File 1. **_Truth Blade? What's that supposed to be used for? _I thought.

Monokuma must have read my mind. He jumped into explanation, "You each got something with 'Truth' in front of it, correct? It varies with everyone, since your talents are all different. These are a type of evidence for when you guys are in the class trials. Everyone ready? My suggestion is to go investigate the crime scene! Upupu... let's begin!" With that said, Monokuma disappeared from sight.

Starring at the screen of my Electro ID, I felt my adrenaline running like crazy. _Investigate... a murder... _I thought. I turned to face the crowd and found out Kirigiri, Naegi, Jade, and Togami had already left. "Hey Sakura... are you going to go investigate to?" I asked.

She shook her head, "No, sadly, I fear I would only get in the way. I'll look over the crime scene to make sure the culprit doesn't try to get rid of any evidence. I'll see if anyone else will accompany me."

"Seems like a good idea. Hopefully we can point out the villain... but I don't want to at the same time." I said to myself.

Sakura agreed, "You're right. I wouldn't want to be the one pointing the finger. However, one must enter the tiger's den to continue down the path..."

"Well put. Alright, I guess I'll see you at the crime scene." I said before running toward the AV room.

Sakura called, "We shall and Godspeed."

I opened the doors leading into the AV room. The smell of blood and death rang through my head. Shaking my head of the horrible scent, I went to investigating. First, I decided to read the **Monokuma File #1** to see what it was:

**Victim: Sayaka Maizuno**

**Time of Death: Somewhere from 3: 00 pm to 5: 00 pm**

**Cause of Death: _**

**Other Notes: The victim has suffered trauma to her neck, arms, and legs. Her right arm is severely broken, while her left is merely bruised. Her legs are in the same condition as her left arm. The victim also seems to have a stab wound in her abdominal area. **

I read the **Monokuma File #1** over again to make sure I didn't miss anything. I found it a little odd though that the cause of death wouldn't be in the file. _I mean if Monokuma was watching wouldn't have known the cause of death?_ _Or... did he do that on purpose? _I thought to myself. I then read the **Monokuma File #1 **one last time. _From what the file says, Maizuno had severely damaged limbs, right?_ I went over to the body to investigate. At first I hesitated. I mean, it was still Maizuno... I felt rather odd examining her, even if she was dead. _Come on Ace, snap out of it. You have to._ I thought to myself. I then looked at her right arm, which was in my opinion the biggest thing that stood out. Her sleeve was torn and her arm bent at the forearm. It was pretty graphic and it almost made me sick.

**Truth Blade Acquired: Maizuno's Right Arm**

I then went to look at the other limbs of Maizuno, which also seemed damaged. However, I noticed that there were black and blue marks on her left arm and legs. Another thing I realized was that was that the marks were all the same, not different sizes or shapes. _Weird, why are the marks the same? And why are they only on Maizuno's left arm and legs? _I thought. As I was looking, I also saw the stab wound that was in her abdominal area. Streaks of dried blood ran down Maizuno's shirt.

**Truth Blade Acquired: Maizuno's Limbs**

**Maizuno's Bruises**

**Maizuno's Stab Wound**

I then got up noticing someone had entered the room. It was Sakura, Oowada, and Kirigiri walking in. Sakura nodded to me. Oowada and her went to sit in one of the desks in the AV room keeping a close eye on the crime scene. Kirigiri then went to the floor examining it. She seemed to be looking at every square inch of the floor.

_What is she doing?_ I asked myself. That's when I went over to Kirigiri. "Uh, Kirigiri? What are you doing?" I asked.

Kirigiri answered with another question, "Well, what is one thing that is weird about the room?"

_Weird? What the heck is she talking about? _I asked myself. I then looked at the floor, expecting the answer to pop up. Then I _did_ discover something that was odd about the room. I looked at Maizuno's hair, which was hanging off to a side. Then I looked at the ground where it was _clean_.

Kirigiri smiled, "It seems as if you were able to decipher the answer... if the murder occurred here, then why is there no strand of hair on the ground?"

**Truth Blade Acquired: Condition of AV Room Floor**

"That is odd... maybe the killer picked up after himself?" I suggested.

Kirigiri nodded, "That's probably what happened, but something else is bothering me as well," she walked over to Maizuno's body and took a closer look at her abdominal area, "If she was stabbed, then wouldn't it the area behind her be drowned in blood?"

I looked at the floor around Maizuno, and I noticed that Kirigiri was right. The floor around her was clean as well.

**Truth Blade Acquired: Area around Maizuno's Corpse**

Kirigiri suddenly got up, "So, I think we can be sure of 2 things..."

"And these 2 things are?" I asked a little lost.

Kirigiri turned to me, "That Maizuno wasn't killed in the AV room and that the stab wound was post-mortem, so to say, after she was dead."

"But if she wasn't killed here, then where was she killed?" I asked.

Kirigiri shook her head, "I can't say... Honestly, she could have been killed anywhere. But I do have a hunch..." Kirigiri then walked out of the AV room, kind of leaving me hanging.

Frowning, I looked around the AV room one last time. As I did, I notice another thing unusual about the crime scene. _How did the killer get Maizuno in the AV room if she wasn't killed in here? I mean, People were still walking around the halls during that time, right? _Then, the answer came to me. There was something shinning in the corner of the room. I went over to investigate the object and I found it. It was a poorly hidden trolley with a blanket stack on it. The shiny stuff on the trolley was none other than... blood. It was in between some of the blankets. _So, that's how the killer did it? He hid the body in between a pair of blankets? That must have been a risky move..._

**Truth Blade Acquired: Bloody Trolley**

Then I noticed something about the trolley. You can only find the trolley's like this... in the Storage Room! _I saw this exact trolley the day I found Naegi inside the Storage Room looking for plates!_ I thought triumphantly. So, maybe that's what Kirigiri meant by what she said..._ Ok, I think that's about it for the crime scene... _As I was about to leave, I bumped into Naegi on the way out.

"Oh, sorry Naegi..." I apologized.

He sighed, "It's not a problem... Anyway, I still can't believe this all happened..."

"I know what you mean... no one wanted Maizuno to..." I started, but I didn't want to finish the sentence.

He clutched his fists, "If only I had gone to her sooner..."

"What? What are you talking about?" I asked confused.

He looked to me, "We had agreed to meet up a little before dinner, but I was helping Asahina try to find a way out of here from the Gym and first floor of the school building, but by the time we had finished it was time for Dinner, so we headed back to the cafeteria..."

"So... you were with Asahina the whole time?" I asked.

He nodded, "Yeah, from about 3: 35 to dinner time"

**Truth Blade Acquired: Naegi's Testimony**

_I had better talk to Asahina and make sure that the time frame and everything matches up with Naegi's_. I then waved goodbye to Naegi and dashed off to the Storage Room.

When I got there, Kirigiri was just exiting the storage room. She asked, "So, you saw the trolley in the back of the room too?"

"How did you even know if you didn't go to look at it?" I asked.

She answered, "Well, I guess you could say I _knew_ it was there... but if you must know, I saw the trolley when I scanned the room upon entering the room."

_Knew it was there? Saw it when you scanned the room? But.. How? I mean, it's not like she's a __**detective**__ or anything... right? _"Hey Kirigiri... If you don't mind me asking, what's your-"

She interrupted, "That's not important as of the moment. Right now, you should investigate the storage room..." Kirigiri then strutted off in the other direction.

_I wonder... what's her SDHS talent...? _I soon shook the thought of that out of my mind. I mean, we still haven't even investigated the Storage Room... I opened the door that lead into the Storage Room and the scene folded out like a pop-up book. The Storage Room looked as if a big struggle had occurred here...

**Truth Blade Acquired: Condition of the Storage Room**

I jumped into the investigation. Going deeper into the room I noticed the line of trolleys in the room. One was missing, leaving a bloody trail leading out of the room. _So, at least we know that the trolley came from here..._

**Truth Blades Acquired: Missing Trolley**

**Bloody Trail**

As I continued to look around, I was able to find a couple of more pieces of evidence. I found the Gold-Leaf Sword hidden in a few boxes. The sword had slash marks all over the blade and case of the sword. It was like... the blade was defending against another bladed item. _It's not another sword's slash... but something much smaller attacked at the person who had the sword..._

**Truth Blade Acquired: Practice Sword Blade**

**Practice Sword Case**

_Who... had the practice sword? _I thought. _It couldn't have been Maizuno... Her hands were clean. As a matter of fact- _**DING DONG DING DOOOONG! **I jumped at the sound of the bell. Turning to the monitor on the wall, I saw Monokuma pop on screen.

He greeted, "Time's up! Everyone, enough investigating! It's time for the Class Trial! Everyone get to the giant Red Leather Door near the AV room! I'll be waaaaiting!" Then, the screen went blank.

_Darn... the moment I was deciphering... this Class Trial is about to begin._

A/N: So, who do you think did it?

What will the class trial hold for everyone else?

Let's find out next time!


End file.
